Weekend Balita (Los Angeles edition) February 20, 2021

LOS ANGELES / ORANGE COUNTY

VOL. XXX NO. 8

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

TOP STORIES Global News No offer, no inquiry from US on Duterte’s payment demand for VFA — Palace 8  More tremors recorded in Taal Volcano in past 24 hours — PHIVOLCS 8  Myanmar repatriation testament to PH commitment to assist OFWs 9  AFP must be able to stand alone even without VFA — Sobejana 10  PH installs more sovereign markers on northern islands 10  PHLPost ready to implement proposed mail-in voting for 2022 polls 11  No reason for De Lima to celebrate despite dismissal of one drug case — Palace 12  DFA warns groups financing CPPNPA, other ATC-listed terrorists 12  No eating, no calls, no bathroom breaks in case cinemas reopen: DOH official 12 

THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FELLOW FILIPINO-AMERICANS

$600 reLIef PrOPOSeD fOr ALL IN gOLDeN STATe STImULUS By aBner GaLinO

GOVERNOR Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) announced on Wednesday (February 17) that they have agreed to provide low-income Californians a $600 state stimulus payment to help them weather financial hardships.

Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins

Sections BUSINESS. Philippine banks cheer passage of FIST Law 13  ENTERTAINMENT. Sunshine Dizon makes her directorial debut in ‘B&B’ series 15  HEALTH & FAMILY. WHO cautions PH vs easing quarantine amid new COVID variants, vaccine delays 18  TRAVEL. Uniform tourism rules to encourage travel during pandemic: study 16 

Immigration reforms won’t come overnight

By MarK HeDin ethnic Media Services CHanGe at the top in Washington, D.C., has raised hopes for change in U.S. immigration policies. At a “Town Hall” telebriefing on Feb. 11, representatives of both the Los Angeles city and county’s separate Offices of Immigrant Affairs, along with county and city librarians, offered an assessment of what to expect, and how to respond to developments.

Maria E. Penaloza, a program manager with the LA City OIA, led things off by explaining the differences between the “executive actions” process President Joe Biden has already utilized, and changes that can only happen with the cooperation of Congress, such as writing new legislation. ”Some executive actions call for the review of current policies, so as of today, it is not clear what further changes will happen or when.”

She addressed the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and TPS ( Tempora r y P rotec ted Status) programs. There are almost 80,000 DACA enrollees and 30,000 TPS IMMIGRATION

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Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon

California Governor Gavin Newsom

The relief for everyone is part of a $9.6-billion economic recovery package that also includes $2.1 billion in grants for small businesses.

Dubbed as “Golden State stimulus,” the state proposal will be expedited for approval next week.

The $600 relief will be on top of direct payments of up to $1,400 per person that have been proposed by Democrats in the US House of Representatives.

$600

Proposal to re-invest in health-focused and community-based youth services S e n aT O r S te ven Bradford has int r o duc e d S en ate Bill (SB) 493, The PROMYSE (Promoting Youth Success and Empowerment) Act. The bill, authored

by Senator Bradford and co-authored by A ssembly member Stone, will dramatically improve spending and accountabili-

ty of an annual state grant called the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA).

For 20 years, California counties have poorly spent hundreds of millions in JJCPA dollars, which are designated to support justice-involved and “at-promise” youth locally, and the state

has done little to ensure accountability.

In fiscal year 2018– 19, counties received nearly $160 million in JJCPA funding.

“Reforming JJCPA responds to rising calls for racial justice and addresses economic challenges heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This bill will provide for greater accounta-

Senator Steven Bradford

PROPOSAL

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Lacson maintains senators have a say on Philippines' international agreements ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday maintained that senators have a say when it comes to entering into or termination of a treaty or international agreement like the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Th i s, a f ter Ch ief Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo appeared to have lectured the senator on the Senate's role in the VFA termination.

According to Panelo, Lacson erroneously cited Article VII, Section

Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson

21 of the 1987 Constitution in justifying his "flawed narrative" that

senators have something to do in international agreements.

The compromise builds on the initiatives in the Governor’s state budget proposal to provide cash relief to lower-income Californians, increase aid to small businesses and provide license renewal fee waivers to businesses impacted by the pandemic.

In addition to these measures, the agreement provides tax relief for businesses, commits additional resources for critical child care services and funds emergency finan-

The provision states that "[n]o treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate."

"A plain reading of the constitutional provision will immediately lead them to that understanding — that senators have a role in prospective international agreements, not in existing ones. No wonder Senator Lacson found refuge on such provision," Panelo said.

LACSON

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PH vax roadmap is still on track: Galvez ManiLa (Mabuhay) — The country's vaccine roadmap is still on track despite limited access to the global supplies of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines, National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday.

Galvez said it is still possible to push the vaccine rollout this month.

"But most likely talaga, ang ano po natin iyong sa COVAX, titingnan po natin kasi iyong requirement, sa kanila po talaga manggagaling iyon (But most likely, we are still looking at the completion of requirements for the vaccine from the COVAX facility, it will be coming from them)," he said during the Palace virtual press briefing.

He said delays of Covid-19 vaccination rollouts are being experienced not only by the Philippines but other countries worldwide.

"But definitely, if just in case ay magkaroon po ng EUA [emergency use authorization] iyong iba po na mado-donate at saka po iyong darating sa procurement po PH

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Fil-Am

BALITA

ABNER GALINO, Fil-Am News Editor

COVID doesn’t stop

love

By LYDIA V. SOLIS

Community Visit www.Balita.com

Proposal #1 (Lara’s Style - Family Included) Lara thought Evan was going to propose in Cancun, but Evan popped the question New Year’s Eve 2018 at their family party, because he knew she wanted family to be present somehow (parents Marilyn and Norman Avengoza of L.A.).

Lara was completely caught off-guard and sick with fever, but wholeheartedly replied “Yes.” Proposal #2 (Evan's Style - Intimate): April 2018 in Cancun – Before the trip, Evan told Lara he was borrowing the ring to clean it, but that was the final piece he needed for his surprise. On their 2nd day they had fun jet skiing, lying out in the sun, swimming in a storm, and taking advantage of everything the all-inclusive

“I may be biased,” says Lara, “but Evan looks good in a Barong.”

“I

can’t believe we’ll be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary this year!” said Lara Avengoza Adrian. Married on September 28, 2019, this is what her husband wrote a year later: “Where has the year gone?! If someone told me last year what our first year of marriage had in store for us, I would’ve dropped my jaw in complete disbelief. Life has humbled and pleasantly surprised us so much these last 12 months, and it‘s been a reminder to hold close to your loved ones, be grateful, & make self-care a priority. Change is constant and it’s brought us right where we’re supposed to be. Happy Anniversary, Evan. I wouldn’t trade our life together for anything!”

We remember the 14th day of February each calendar year as Hearts’ Day or Lovers’ Day, but most popularly as Valentine’s Day, which falls on the year’s shortest month – 28 days each year except once in every four years when it has 29 days. History says the day, which dates back to the 5th century, was named after a Christian martyr and remembered as Saint Valentine.

The remembrance goes back to the Roman holiday Lupercalia (Feb. 13-15), translated as a Day of Love, one of the most ancient of the Roman holidays and associated to Valentine’s Day. Its translation: meant to mark and celebrate romantic love; friendship, and admiration for one another.

A number of folks are known to express their love and affection shared between partners, family and friends.

Although celebrations of Valentine’s Day could be muted this year because of the pandemic, a lot of people the world over will continue to mark it as Lovers’ Day.

Saturday-Friday | February 13 - 19, 2021

beach-side resort had to offer. Little did Lara know that Evan had arranged to set the room with a rose petal pathway, champagne, candles, and chocolate covered strawberries, so that he could ask her (again) to marry him.

The couple spent their honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort in the Barbados, and they now reside in New Mexico. Last December 28, 2020, during a virtual farewell celebration for ConGen Adel, and induction of officers of the Philippine Disaster Relief Organization, Lara, the stage actress, award-winning singer and Disneyland Resort performer and vocalist, started the program on a high note singing the national anthems, “which she rendered beautifully, as always.”

Viv and Al Half a century-plus and still going strong Al and Vivian Estacio Noche were married on August 24, 1968, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in the Lakeview neighborhood, Chicago. They have two sons, born 13 years apart, on the same date, different time.

“Alvin was born on April 16, 1969, at 10:30 AM,” said Vivian. “In the meantime, we adopted my sister’s daughter Jenny when she was eightyears-old. Then that following year, Phillip was born on April 16, 1982, at 10:30 PM.” Here’s another parallelism in the Noche family. The brothers married women with the same name and the same career: “Phillip got married first to Jessica Ray Noche,” Viv added, “who is a schoolteacher and they have two sons, Charlie (10) and Henry (6). Alvin married Jessica Steffens Noche, who is also a schoolteacher. They have no children.”

Jenny is married to Dan Mueller and they have a daughter Jaden (12).

Originally from Taal, Batangas, Vivian and Al now live in Las Vegas.

Al and Viv, married Aug. 24, 1968

Back to the newly-weds

Lara Avengoza and Evan Adrian had their big day on September 28, 2019, at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montrose, Calif., followed by an outdoor ranch reception at the Reptacular Ranch in Sylmar, Calif.

Lara and Evan, both in the entertainment industry, met through mutual friends in West Hollywood, late Summer of 2013. I heard that Evan first saw Lara through a window, devouring a burger, and Lara’s first impression of Evan was, “He's tall! Evan still has the same blue button down he wore that night and it’s one of my favorite shirts on him,” said Lara.

Their first date turned into a second date, and exactly one month after first laying eyes on each other, Evan asked Lara to be his girlfriend – complete with mimosas, flowers, a kayaking adventure, and a little card that asked, “Wanna go steady?”

The couple has an interesting story, starting with the proposals, not one but two!

T

Photo taken in Cancun, Mexico, on their 50th wedding anniversary, 2018

LA County meets requirements to open schools

he Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has reported that the adjusted case rate has remained under 25 new cases per 100,000 people for five consecutive days which meet the State requirements for schools to open on-site learning for grades TK through 6.

Students in grades TK through 6 are permitted for on-site learning if the school is in full compliance with state and county directives. Many of the directives are not new and very familiar to schools that re-opened under the waiver program or for services for high need students.

These include: Masking and distancing will be required for all staff and students.

Infection control happens everywhere.

Each classroom must form a stable group with fi xed membership and they may not mix with other groups, meaning all onsite school activities

will happen with this same cohort of students and adults. The size of the stable group is dependent on ensuring optimally 6 feet of distance between students and teachers.

Schools are required to immediately report to Public Health clusters of 3 or more positive cases of COVID-19 that have occurred within 14 days of one another.

Schools are required to complete and post the County’s school re-opening checklist that demonstrates compliance with all required safety protocols.

The state added the following additional requirements: Schools must complete a COVID-19 Safety Plan that includes establishing the CAL/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program.

Schools are required to consult with labor, parent and community organizations regarding re-opening plans.

Schools must ensure sufficient ventilation in classrooms and shared spaces per the ASHRAE (American Society of heating, refrigerating, and air conditioning engineers) guidance on ventilation and have an appropriate professional evaluate the ventilation system in regards to the ASHRAE guidance.

Schools are required to have a testing plan that includes symptomatic testing and surveillance testing.

Public Health will be conducting site visits providing technical assistance to schools and helping schools manage outbreaks when they occur.

Schools offering on campus learning opportunities should also continue to offer 100% distance learning opportunities.

It is the decision of the school district or the school as to whether they will reopen for onsite learning for grades TK through 6.

Elementary schools in LA County fall into two groups: those that are al-

ready open for in-classroom instruction for an entire class of students in grades TK-2 through the waiver program and those that are not open for full-grade in class instruction.

Schools already open through an approved waiver need to post their COVID Safety Plan (CSP) prior to expanding in-class instruction to students grades 3 through 6. There are 297 elementary schools with approved waivers.

Schools not yet open need to submit their required COVID Safety Plan for review by CDPH and LA County Public Health, along with completing the county re-opening protocol checklist.

If no concerns are noted in seven working days by either the state or county health departments, they are permitted to open on day eight as long as they follow the safety requirements and protocols detailed in state and county directives.

Twelve school districts have sub-

mitted their CSPs and are currently approved for re-opening, including LAUSD. Two districts are pending review of their CSPs. One hundred and seventy-three private or charter schools have submitted their CSPs, which have been reviewed, and these schools can re-open, and seven private or charter schools have CSP s under review.

For grades 7 through 12, reopening will not be permitted until our case rate drops below 7 per 100,000 people.

Public Health is working in partnership with Los Angeles County school districts to establish the Public Health Ambassador Program for students and parents. This program will actively engage school communities in preventing and reducing the spread of COVID-19 by empowering students and parents as essential partners in each school’s prevention effort.

CONTNUED ON PAGE 3

Community Vaccine distribution lags for communities of color Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

By Jenny Manrique Ethnic Media Services

S

ome 55% of COVID-19 fatalities in California are Latino while African-Americans in New York have the highest rates of hospitalization for coronavirus. Yet neither state is reporting racial data about who receives vaccines.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) vaccine monitor, only 23 states in the country share vaccination data by race and ethnicity, and the persistent pattern is that Black and Hispanic people have been vaccinated at very low rates in proportion to infections and deaths from the virus.

“This needs to be immediately corrected,” said Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras, founding member of the Latino Coalition against COVID-19 at an Ethnic Media Services press briefing on Feb. 12. “If we are unable to measure and quantify the disparity, it is very difficult to find a solution (to the pandemic).”

According to Turner-Lloveras, the first step to achieving an equitable distribution is to ensure that all states report racial data on who receives the vaccine.

Data analyzed by KFF shows that the largest gaps between states reporting numbers by race are in Delaware where only 6% of those vaccinated are Black, although they account for 24% of the infections. In Louisiana, African Americans have received 13% of vaccinations but suffered from 34% of the infections and in Mississippi 17% of Blacks have been vaccinated but their infection rates reach 38%.

Colorado has vaccinated only 6% of Latinos while Latino infection rates reach 37%; in Oregon only 6% have been vaccinated while 35% have been infected, while in Texas only 16% of have received the vaccine despite representing 43% of cases.

The KFF data shows the same vaccination gaps for Native Americans and Asian Americans.

“We need a gigantic digital patient engagement project...with virtual town halls in every neighborhood providing information in the languages people speak,” said the doctor, adding that this is the only way to achieve herd immunity and return to some kind of normalcy.

Long-standing disparities

Disparities in access to healthcare are not new, but COVID-19 has exacerbated them. The health system was unprepared for a pandemic in which ethnic minorities had to resort to underfunded community health centers which are short of beds and acute medical devices.

This is the case at Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles, which needed to call for reinforcements to transfer its most critical COVID patients to other hospitals for oxygenation. All too often, surrounding hospitals refused to receive MLK patients due to lack of insurance.

“MLK staff work 24 hours in the trenches fighting COVID and when they ask for help they are told no repeatedly,” said Dr. David M. Carlisle, president and CEO of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

“This is the hidden face of healthcare.

These are the disparities and why people are so concerned about health care ... it is unethical and inhumane.”

Carlisle said he is concerned that vaccines are being distributed to commercial pharmacies located in “areas that do not reflect the ethnic diversity” in California such as Huntington Beach, Irvin and New-

port Beach while large vaccination centers like the Dodger Stadium run out of doses and have to close.

“It is a failure of our public health policy.”

For Virginia Hedrick, executive director of the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health and a member of the Yurok tribe, these disparities show that “we are not all in this together, we are not experiencing it in the same way.”

The data back her up: American Indians and Alaska Natives have contracted COVID at rates three and a half times higher than their white non-Hispanic counterparts. In a given week, they’ve been hospitalized between 4 and 5 times more than whites non-Hispanic. And the death rate overall is 1.8 times higher.

Hedrick said that for Native Americans the pandemic has been a reflection of the “outcomes of historical trauma” to which they have been subjected with the “steal of land, children, language, and culture.”

This has resulted in a community suffering from the highest rates of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, substance abuse and even suicide among the youngest community members.

While the Indian Health Services have a separate vaccine stockpile for both urban Indians and those living on tribal facilities, the doses available in California are not enough for all community members.

Thanks to tribal sovereignty, their tier system has prioritized vulnerable populations with pre- existing conditions regardless of age. If there are young members of the family taking the older ones to get vaccinated, they can receive a vaccine by being recognized as caregivers. But if someone gets sick, there are no Indian Health Service-funded hospitals in California: tribal members rely on a public or private system and insurance.

“We are seeing tribal leaders die, our elders die, and in Indian countries losing an elder is losing knowledge and language that can never be recovered” Hedrick added.

Resources for the CBOs

Language barriers are also a worry for the indigenous communities of Mexico that make up a large part of the farmworker labor force, and for Asian-Americans who speak up to 50 different languages.

According to Adam Carbullido, director of policy and advocacy at the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Congress should approve more resources for community-based organizations (CBOs) that have been “in the frontline providing care and services when government and private institutions have fallen short.”

“These clinics need more interpreters and materials translated into different languages,” he observed. “It is important to have providers on hand who can speak the language of (the patient’s) choice not just in a public crisis,” he said.

Carbullido recalled that Asian Americans have the highest risk of hospitalization among any ethnic group and have been subjected to an increase in incidents of hate and xenophobia, “because of the false association of the pandemic with Asians and others who are perceived as foreigners.”

“Patients report fear of seeking health and the care they need... it is a true emotional trauma in Asian American communities and the mental health consequences will have long-standing complications for health,” he concluded.

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PROPOSAL... from Page 1 bility, effectiveness, and equity in supporting our youth,” says Senator Bradford. “The PROMYSE Act will ensure state funds are invested in youth development and crime prevention.”

SB 493 will do this by requiring at least 95 percent of JJCPA funds to be invested in non-law enforcement public agencies and/or community-based organizations. Further, it will foster equitable decision-making by restructuring each county’s Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC), which is responsible for overseeing JJCPA grant administration locally. Under SB 493, JJCCs will have fewer mandated government agency representatives and must include at least 50 percent community representation. The bill will also expand reporting by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) and counties to include critical evidence on youth served and program effectiveness to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

In May 2020, the California State Auditor released a scathing report on JJCPA administration and spending. According to the state auditor, counties have excluded legally required council representatives, and data reporting has not demonstrated the effectiveness of JJCPA-funded programs.

The California State Auditor found, “counties made only limited revisions that failed to demonstrate how their strategies for addressing juvenile crime and delinquency had changed over the last 20 years.”

During that time, youth arrests dropped by over 80 percent leading to massive declines in youth contact with probation and other law enforcement entities. Yet counties continue

to funnel the majority of JJCPA dollars to probation salaries and benefits with little to no investment in youth services provided by community-based organizations.

“Use of JJCPA funds on law enforcement personnel–including net-widening with excessive supervision–is contradictory to the bill’s original intent of investment in collaborative, community-based services,” explains original JJCPA co-author, Congressman Tony Cardenas.

“I developed JJCPA in response to California’s harmful history of tough-on-crime measures and its over-incarceration of young people… JJCPA funds were intended to support community-run prevention and intervention programs.”

The PROMYSE Act will revitalize California’s JJCPA grant to align with youths’ needs and present-day realities. Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) Youth Advocate Kenzo Sohoue expresses, “I’ve noticed that most of my peers were never exposed to opportunities in their childhoods that could have molded them and encouraged them to become productive members of our communities. That is because there isn’t enough money invested in community centers and youth development centers.”

Black and brown youth have experienced the brunt of California’s punitive system. Better JJCPA investments can ensure that state funds no longer prop up a system that has consistently failed youth and communities of color. It is time to invest in a new vision for California’s young people–one that recognizes that health, education, and community-based services are essential in preventing youths’ exposure to the justice system. SB 493 is a critical step to establish a strong foundation for the future.

LA COUNTY... from Page 2 The Ambassador Program will build a coalition throughout school communities that promotes the responsibility of each person—school leadership and staff, students, and parents—to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The effort will emphasize the importance of school community members not only consistently implementing the elements of Public Health’s reopening protocols on school campuses, but also using core infection prevention practices whenever individuals are in the broader community outside of their households.

“To everyone who has lost a loved one or friend to COVID-19, our deepest condolences go out to you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH,

MEd, Director of Public Health.

“While we remain attentive to the potential for outbreaks in schools, the data both nationally and here in L.A. County indicate that schools are not high-risk settings in terms of transmission of COVID-19 as long as they are following safety requirements and protocols.

It is important to understand that, when cases increase overall in L.A. County, this has a ripple effect on cases of COVID-19 among staff and students in our schools. It is clear that, in order to keep schools open and our students and school staff safe, we as a community must work to keep transmission across the county as low as possible."

Outbreaks in schools that re-opened were relatively rare as the protocols in place prevented significant transmission at school sites.

Nonetheless, like cases, outbreaks in schools also increased during the surge and have been declining steadily in January. There have been a total of 86 K-12 school-affiliated outbreaks since Sept 1, 2020. Of the 86 outbreaks, 66 involved fewer than 6 cases; most were 3-4 cases. Only two outbreaks involved slightly more than 12 cases, and this included one office site that provided procurement services that had 25 cases and one site open only to cafeteria workers that had 15 cases.

Of the 120 new deaths reported today, 46

people that passed away were over the age of 80, 38 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 30 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29.

Testing results are available for more than 5,707,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

As President Biden tackles the current pandemic and economic crisis here in the US, he will also now face emerging foreign challenges worldwide (PART II) 7. Mikhail Mishustin of Russia, was born on March 3, 1966, to Vladimir Moiseyevich and Luiza Mihailovna, in a town close to Moscow. His mother was born in the city of Kotlas and his father was born in Polotsk, Belarus and it was reported that he was of Belarusian Jewish origin. In 1989, Mikhail Mishustin graduated from the Stankin Institute, majoring in Systems Engineering and in 1992, he completed his postgraduate studies at the same school. After finishing his graduate school, he began working as Director of a test laboratory facility and later on transferred to work at the International Computer Club (ICC), where he worked on "facilitating the integration of Russian and Western information technologies," and ultimately headed Mikhail Mishustin the board of the ICC. In 1998,he joined the State Russia Service as an Assistant for Information Systems, accounting and control over tax receipts and tax payments to the Head of the Tax Service of the Russian Federation. From 1998 to 2004, he worked as Deputy Tax Minister, and he became second-in command at the State Tax Service. Further, he also worked at the Federal Agency for Real Estate Cadastre, which was within the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, where he eventually headed the Federal Agency for managing Special Economic Zones. In 2008, he left the civil service and returned to the private sector, where he spent two years as the President of UFG Asset Management, an investment fund company, but left again in 2010 to go back to head the Federal Tax Service and appointed by then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. By January 15, 2020, he was nominated by President Putin for the post of Prime Minister. But, soon after from April 30, 2020, Mishustin suggested to Putin to have his deputy, Andrey Belousov to appoint him to take-over for him as acting Prime Minister, as he tested positive for COVID -19 but after recovering, on May 19, 2020, he resumed his duties as Prime Minister, becoming the highest-ranking government Russian official and the second head of government (after British PM Boris Johnson) who also contracted the COVID-19 virus. As a 54-year old Russian politician, Mishustin became the symbol of Russia's response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Putin doesn't seem to be looking for a successor, Mishustin currently plays an important role in Russia for the next decade.

8. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya of Belarus was born on September 11, 1982. She became an English teacher and Interpreter who spent many summers in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland as part of a programme for children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. She is married to activist, YouTuber and blogger, Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was arrested on May,29, 2020 as an opposition Presidential candidate during the Svetlana Tikhanovskaya election, so Svetlana decided to run and register Belarus as an Independent candidate in his place on July 14, 2020. She was endorsed by the campaigns of Valery Tsepkalo and Viktor Baharyka two prominent opposition politicians who were barred by incumbent President Alexander Lukashenkp from registering. Before the presidential campaign, Lukashenkp announced and insisted that Belarus is not ready for a female president .Her campaign began as Amnesty International condemned Belarus's discriminatory treatment of women opposition activists, including threats of sexual violence and threats by authorities to take children away from opposition figures and send them to the state-run orphanages. In response to the threats, Svetlana sent her two children abroad to live with their grandmother. In her campaign, she said that she ran for President out of love to free her husband from prison. She has vowed to free all political prisoners in Belarus, to introduce democratic reforms to the country and to move away from the union treaty with Russia, which many Belarusian political opposition leaders view as an infringement on the country's sovereignty. She has also pledged to set a referendum on returning to the original

draft of the 1994 Belarusian constitution, reinstating a two-year term limit for the president. She said that her main goal is to establish fair and free elections and viewed the current election as illegitimate due to the government's refusal to register Lukashenko's main political opponents as candidates. She has pledged to deliver a plan for transparent and accountable elections within six months of taking office. Her economic platform emphasized increasing the importance of small and medium-sized businesses in the Belarusian economy. She planned to offer interest-free loans to small and medium-sized businesses, cancel state inspections of private entities and private legal protection for foreign investors and to allow profitable state-owned enterprises to get help from outside professionals. The night before the election, police detained her senior staffers from her campaign and she went into hiding in Minsk before re-emerging on election day at a polling station.

Though she didn't achieve victory, her campaign proved that the end is not far off from Belarus' longtime dictator, Alexander Lukashenko.

9. Abubacarr Tambadou of Gambia was born on December 12, 1972. He was the son of Albaji Marie Tambadou. He has 18 siblings, one of whom was lawyer Sheriff M. Tambadou. They were raised in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia. Abubacarr attended Saint Augustine's High School from 1987 to 1992 and played football in his youth, winning trophies for the national team. But, in order not to disappoint his father, he gave up his sports dream to pursue academics and was offered to study Law at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Thus, he attended Warwick from1994 to 1997and in 1999, he passed the Bar and became a Barrister at Lincoln's Inn, followed by his employment as a public prosecutor at the Gambian Ministry of Justice from 1997 to 1999, ensuring naMikhail Mishustin tional prosecutions of local crimes. From 1990 to 2000 Gambia he then worked as State Counsel with supervisory responsibilities over public prosecutions By 2001 to 2002, he completed a Master's degree in International Human Rights Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. He then went into private legal practice with his lawyer/ Sheriff brother setting up the M.Tambadou Law Chambers in Banjul from 2000 to 2003, where they particularly focused on Human Rights Law. By the end of 2003, Abubacarr was invited to work for the United Nations International Tribunal and he left the Gambia to work as an Associate Legal Officer for Rwandan Arusha in Tanzania from 2003 to 2005, and from 2005 to 2008, he became a Trial Attorney responsible for prosecuting violations of International Human Rights Law in Rwanda, which he eventually left in 2016 when the office was closed. Finally on February 7, 2017, Tambadou was appointed by the Gambia President Adams Barrow as Minister of Justice and Attorney General, positions he held until 2020.As a prominent Human Rights Lawyer and politician, he currently serves as the Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, an international court founded by the United Nations Security Council. He was recently included in Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in 2020."

10. Kamissa Camara of Mali was born on April 27, 1983 in Grenoble, whose Malian parents emigrated to France in the 1970's. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Foreign Language from Paris Diderot University and an MA in International Economics and Development from Pierre-Mendes France University. She did an internship at the United Nations in Washington, D,C. in 2005 and spent a year in Concord, New Hampshire as an "au pair." Two years after, in 2007, she also did another internship at the African Development Bank in Tunisia and then she transferred and worked at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems overseeing West Africa.

By 2012, she joined the National Endowment for Kamissa Camara Democracy,(NED) which allowed her to be invited Mali as one of the observers to the Malian presidential elections in 2013, but she was promoted at NED in 2016 as Vice Director of Central and West Africa and for quite a while, she also worked with the US presidential election of Hilary Clinton and in early 2017, she wrote a letter to Mali's President, Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, asking him to withdraw his plans to change the constitution. Then, she became a member of the Center for African Studies at Harvard University until December, 2017. She has written opinion articles and political analyses for various publications in English and French and has been a political commentator on English and French TV programs. She was the first Malian political scientist to appear on CNN and she became Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the NGO Partners Global until June, 2018. But on July, 2018, Mali's President Keita appointed her as his diplomatic adviser and two months after, on September 9.2018 she became the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed by President Keita as Mali's Minister for Foreign Affairs and she became one of the eleven women in the thirty-two member cabinet. The 35-year old Camara has risen to political prominence as a powerhouse who spoke about issues of regional security and human rights violations. By December 2018, she was the youngest Foreign Minister who gave a speech to the United Nation's General Assembly in Marrakech, deploring the withdrawal of some countries from the Global Compact for Migration. Currently, she holds three dual citizenships: France, the Unite States and Mali and she speaks English, French and Bambara.

Thus, above world political leaders and changemakers are now on the rise and President Biden and his administration will surely have to establish new diplomatic foreign relationships with them, to ensure the world that his administration will be promoting WORLD PEACE.

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L.A. County gaining ground on COVID 19

By MarK HeDin ethnic Media Services

L

os Angeles County has dramatically reduced the awful surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths that struck late last year, Dr. Eloisa Gonzalez said at a Feb. 11 briefing for ethnic media hosted by the Los Angeles County COVID-19 Joint Information Center.

“Cases are falling at a very encouraging rate,” she said. She’s the county Department of Health’s director of integrative medicine at the Historic General Hospital Wellness Center. In early February, new cases were down to 4,500 a day from 15,000 a month earlier. But it’s still far too early to declare victory over the pandemic.

For one thing, 4,500 per day is three times as many as were being diagnosed in September. And health officials fear there could be another surge within months if people let their guards down.

Gonzalez was joined in the teleconference by county Department of Health Services Drs. Karen Kim and Raymond

Perry, who are, respectively, directors of LA County DPH’s Primary Care Clinical Quality and of the South Los Angeles Hubert Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center.

Hospitalizations are down by 42%, Gonzalez said, at 4,608 daily as of Feb. 5 – still a far cry from the 760 per day of early November.

Deaths went from 13 daily in early November to 220 in January and have now dropped by 45%, but even still, there are “more than 200 people passing away on far too many days,” Gonzalez said.

“The only way for us to continue to slow transmission is to maintain safety precautions of social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing and avoiding crowds – even after getting a vaccine.”

It’s important to be careful even after getting your second dose of vaccine, she said, because it can take a couple of weeks for it to take effect. And although it’s been found to be 95% effective in fighting COVID-19, that leaves 5% -- one person in 20 – who could get the vaccine but still be vulnerable.

So far, Gonzalez said, 1.2 million doses

ImmIgrATION... frOm PAge 1 holders in the Los Angeles metro area, Penaloza said.

Although Biden has asked the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen DACA, she said, for now, that doesn’t change anything. Applications and renewals are still being accepted, and should be pursued without delay, because a pending court case in Texas could affect the program in unforeseen ways.

DACA and TPS both offer temporary relief from the possibility of deportation, but that’s not permanent, she cautioned.

While Trump administration attempts to scale back TPS to just four of the current 10 countries are still tied up in court, Penaloza urged anyone facing issues around TPS to seek legal advice.

While the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 – more commonly known as the “Biden Immigration Reform Bill” -- provides a path to citizenship that could welcome more than 11 million people, Penaloza stressed that the measure is only a proposal, not even published yet except for some fact sheets the White House released.

“Right now, it has not been introduced, it is not law yet.”

LA County OIA Executive Director Rigo Reyes spoke of county services that cover people “from the womb to the tomb,” regardless of immigration status.

Of utmost importance right now is the plight of families separated at the border under “one of the harshest policies ever adopted,” he said.

“The numbers are not totally clear, but we know that at least 600 kids remain separated from their parents,” Reyes said.

“So the county has made a commitment to find who these kids are, determine what services the county has that could help them out -- not just the kids, but those who are taking care of them now. We know they need a lot of help.”

As for the immigrant community in general, he listed legal representation, health care, school enrollment and support, cash and non-cash assistance including CalFresh, as “basic things that the county wants to provide.”

Reyes urged those seeking advice or further information to call (800) 5938222, or go to https://oia.lacounty.gov/.

Adriana Garcia, Associate Director of the LA City OIA, described the latest immigration scams.

These crop up every time changes to the laws are under discussion, she said.

To avoid “notario fraud” -- legal advice offered by non-lawyers or unethical lawyers -- she said, don’t try to save time

and money by accepting help from tax preparers, immigration counselors or anyone but a licensed lawyer.

Anyone else offering legal advice is breaking the law by doing so, she said, and should be avoided.

“Get agreements in writing, including fee information, she said, and watch out about paying for government forms – they’re usually free on the web -- or giving up original documents. Provide copies only. Don’t sign blank or incomplete forms, or forms you don’t understand,” she said.

“Get copies of documents prepared for you and receipts for and copies of filings made on your behalf, and receipts for work you pay for, that identify the service provider.”

A “huge red flag,” she also warned, is anyone guaranteeing results, or promising good outcomes based on having special connections.

Daniel Sharp, chief of the county OIA, addressed Trump administration efforts to use the “public charge” rule to discourage people from seeking government help. Biden has begun the process of reversing the rule, he said, “but it’s going to take time.”

But, he advised, the rule only applies to those trying to enter or re-enter the country or adjust their immigration status and is otherwise irrelevant to most immigrants to the United States.

All programs fighting COVID-19, such as medical sheltering programs, testing and vaccinations, and many others, including, for example, Medi-Cal, My Health LA, and workers compensation also don’t count in public charge consideration, he said. Nor do programs other household members may be using.

Daniel Hernandez, Chicano Resource Center Librarian for the L.A. County Library system, listed a variety of supports for immigrant communities, such as “Citizenship-in-a-Bag” kits that include study materials and application forms, and Laptop & HotSpot loan programs that offer computers and web service for things such as accessing applications and test preparation. These and more services, including English-learning help, can be obtained via LACountyLibrary.org.

The city’s library system, too, through its New American Centers has free immigration services -- naturalization assistance, LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident) card renewals, fee waiver applications, DACA applications and renewals and more.

To find these services, Michelle Soong, of the New Americans Initiative program, said, call (213) 228-7390 or visit https://www.lapl.org/newamericans.

have been administered in L.A. County, almost a quarter-million of those second doses. The county is organizing mobile teams to bring the vaccine to seniors in housing developments or senior centers in Los Angeles’ hardest-hit communities, and teams of community health workers are going block-by-block to spread the word on how to get vaccinated and speak out against virus-related false information, myths and scams.

Throughout, she said, VaccinateLACounty.com and VacunateLosAngeles. com will remain viable portals for updated information about the pandemic and vaccines and provide links to appointment registration.

“Watch out for scams,” she said. To get a vaccine, “you do not need citizenship or legal residency, you just need to prove you live in the county. For that, you can use a utility bill, vehicle or school registration, rent receipt, employment documentation, tax, insurance or court documents. You will not be asked for a birth certificate, and you will still be vaccinated even if you do not provide your immigration status.”

The Department of Public Health is NOT sharing people’s information with the INS or any organization related to immigration. The registration system is not linked, and medical information is confidential by law.

There’s no way to cut ahead in line for a vaccination, and although some “miracle cures” might offer some relief from COVID symptoms, the two vaccines approved so far are all we have that works against the virus itself. Ignore anyone telling you different, she said.

Dr. Kim described how the Department of Health Services, following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control (federal) and both the state and

county, since Jan. 21 has administered first doses to 12,600 of its half-a-million patients across the county, and, starting Dec. 18, 18,500 of its health-care staff, along with 16,000 second doses.

Vaccination clients to date, she said, have been 60% Latino, 10% Black, 10% Asian, and 15% mixed or “other.”

The vaccine is available at no cost, Kim said, and transportation to an appointment when needed, too. That can be arranged while making the appointment, with or without insurance, she said.

She and other panelists emphasized that the biggest challenge in getting people vaccinated is simply procuring adequate supplies.

Dr. Perry, whose Hubert Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center in South Los Angeles serves 45,000 primarily African American and Latino patients, said, “It’s been so great to see the excitement of so many people who feel they finally have the opportunity to protect themselves and help their communities.”

He recalled one senior client dancing in the waiting room after getting his vaccine and a couple who got theirs while celebrating their 50th anniversary and eagerly looking forward to another 50 together.

He acknowledged that the communities he serves have understandable reasons for being hesitant or skeptical of vaccination programs. But “this vaccination is not an experiment,” he said.

“We know it’s safe. We want everyone to get one. COVID-19 is still killing people in our community every day.”

“COVID poses more immediate risk to all us in the community,” he said.

Given the risks the pandemic still poses, he said, “The risk-benefit rationale” mandates everyone getting the vaccine as soon as they can.

Pilipino po tayo!

LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH U. REYES, P.C. ATTORNEY-AT-LAW

*Certified Family Law Specialist The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization - Certified Family Law Specialist - Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) -J.D Southwestern University Law School Los Angeles, CA - B.S Accounting California State University, San Bernardino, CA

CALL OR E-MAIL FOR AN APPOINTMENT 213-204-6366 or

kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com

FAMILY LAW - Divorce - Community Property Division - Child Custody and Spousal Support - Domestic Violence Restraining Order - Legal Separation and Nullity - Parentage - Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

IMMIGRATION - Marriage Petitions - Relative Petitions - Removal of Condtional Green Card - Humanitarian Reinstatements - Child Status Protection Act Issues - Deportation Defense - Employment Based Petitions and PERM - H-1B Visas

ESTATES AND TRUST - Living Trust - Wills - Probate - Conservatorship CIVIL LITIGATION - Contract Disputes - Business Disputes - Corporate and Partnership Disputes

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any amount. She can't even qualify for her own existing loan. She did get a $25K line of credit that was good prior but because she was so worried to borrow more money back then, she just opt to get $25K out, now that she realized that she needed more work on the house, she is left with no other option. She does not want to sell because she has been there for over 40 years but now she can't take any of the equity out because she can't qualify.

This is a very common situation now, where retired homeowners have all their equity invested in their homes but they can’t use the equity. They are struggling check to check and have no other way to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Retired homeowners are also very conservative where they don’t want to keep taking money out, they are old school investors and they still believe in savings and paying off home mortgages.

Here is a dash of this new century mentality into that thought. If that was me, I would sell the house and use the proceeds to buy small-

er house cash and enjoy the rest of the money slowly. I have to assume I still have a descent retirement income and that money is to basically do longer trips and enjoy better thing in life while I can. But of course, for me easier said than done, these homeowners might have a lot of emotional attachments and memories towards this real estate hence, would not like to let go. I seriously understand, but I also see them struggling and settling for a lot less than what they deserve. We all work hard and our efforts deserve to be compensated regardless of mistakes done or mishaps, hard work is still hard work and can’t be replaced.

My advice to more mature homeowners, a house turns into a home when you live in it. You should consider other change to suit your financial needs and change is good.

BALITA

At 60 do I still want to own a house?

CALLER: Hi Ken, I have been following your columns for many years and they are very informative and delightful. I am turning 60 and wanting to buy a home again, I am retiring in a couple more years and would like your opinion on this subject. I sold my house in 2006 because I read your article about cashing out profits because the market was getting too hot and a possible melt down in the RE market is inevitable. I am really grateful that I followed my instinct and sold it back then.

I have been renting at a very low price since, there are only two of us and our children are all grown already. I am very happy now but been getting a lot of solicitation to buy a house from different people.

Please give me your honest opinion.

Ken: Thanks so much for the message and I am so happy that at least one person did listen to my advice back then when the entire market was ignoring any signs of a huge bubble. Since both of you are retied and I feel like your retirement income will just eat away any possibility of both of you enjoying your retirement. I am going to suggest that you just continue to rent. Your retirement income is enough for a descent rental apartment but not enough for a descent home mortgage payment, you do have savings for a down payment but I wanted you to keep that deposit as your emergency funds, if you deplete your savings put in into a house and still have to pay more than half of your retirement into a mortgage. I am afraid that

it might be too tight for you, what if you have to fix something and keep up with the maintenance of the house? With a house you will be left with a very little spendable income and almost no emergency funds.

I suggest for you to continue to rent, keep the savings and enjoy your full retirement in a couple of years. If my calculations are correct you can enjoy a minimum of one trip back home to the Philippines every year with plenty of pasalubong (gifts) and at least 2-3 small weekend trips locally. The Trump government is coming with a tax break that will benefit renters to stay as tenants, I will keep an eye and report to you once the law passes.

Caller: I have a home in Whittier and there is a lot of equity in the house. I got divorced and I get to keep the house and the mortgage.

I am retired and only working part time therefore my total income is less than $1500 a month. I need about $40,000 to keep my property updated and make it livable. Can you help me refinance my home loan and get me some cash out?

Ken: I have been talking to this caller for about 6 months, initially I already requested her to get a line of credit from a Credit Union to fix her roof and garage because it was so bad that you can actually see the sky thru holes in the garage.

I had mention to her prior that she will not be able to get descent financing even though she has about $350K equity in the house.

Her actual retirement income is not enough for her to qualify for

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Thanks for your comments and support, please feel free to call Ken Go at 1st Innovative Finance Group at 562-508-7048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net. BRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

Dealing with Assets Omitted from a Divorce Case

YOU and your spouse may have gone through a lengthy and contentious divorce proceeding. This is usually the most difficult period of a person's life. Finally, time heals all pain.

You and your spouse get tired of bickering and being mean to one another that you both decide to compromise each other positions and resolve all issues in your divorce case through settlement. Shortly thereafter, the divorce judgment is finally entered by the Court and you get a sigh of relief. Later you discovery that "Oops!," your ex-spouse had community asset and/ or debt that was left out of the divorce judgment. This may be a pension, retirement account, a hidden bank account, or a piece of real estate property which was not divided in the judgment.

What is one to do in this situation? The answer can be found in California Family Code §2556.

California Family Code §2556 provides “In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, for nullity of marriage, or for legal separation of the parties, the court has continuing jurisdiction to award community estate assets or community estate liabilities to the parties that have not been previously adjudicated by a judgment in the proceeding.” California Family Code §2556.

Even if the parties did not expressly reserve jurisdiction on that piece of asset, the Court retains the power to divide a specific property if there is a community interest in it.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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Can’t Pay Your Bills During The Pandemic?

THERE have been increasing talks recently about making needed changes under the Bankruptcy Code to protect families and business owners who are suffering during this pandemic.

While the government has made limited efforts to alleviate the hardship experienced by millions of people with the recent stimulus payments, loan forbearances, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other relief measures, they are still insufficient to help families and business affected by the virus to attain meaningful financial recovery.

Thanks to our California legislators. Last year, Governor Newsom signed AB-1885 into law which significantly increased the homestead exemption amounts which had been outdated for quite some time. The homestead exemption laws allow you to protect equity in your primary residence from creditors. Before the law passed, the lowest amount was $75,000 for a single person and the highest amount was only $175,000 for homeowners aged 65 and older or disabled.

Under the new law which went into effect January 1, 2021, it will be anywhere from $300,000 - $600,000. What this means for you is that if you have been previously precluded from filing bankruptcy for fear of losing your home by having too much equity in your home, the higher homestead exemption amounts may now allow you to be able to file bankruptcy without worrying about losing what could be your most valuable asset.

Without being able to obtain debt relief through bankruptcy, many who have lost their jobs, or their businesses, can forever be buried in debt that they cannot repay. In the end, America loses out because people who are in-

BARRISTER’S CORNER… FROM PAGE 6

The Court's “continuing jurisdiction” over omitted community estate assets or debts is invoked by filing a post judgment Motion, or Request for Order in the divorce case. Family Code §2556 provides “A party may file a postjudgment motion or request for order in the proceeding in order to obtain adjudication of any community estate asset or liability omitted or not adjudicated by the judgment.” The postjudgment partition of the unadjudicated community estate claims is properly entertained by the court even absent an express reservation of jurisdiction in its prior judgment. Marriage of Moore & Ferrie (1993) 14 CA4th 1472, 1483, 18 CR2d 543, 549, fn. 9. The postjudgment motion is available to any omitted asset or debt not adjudicated by the divorce judgment. However, Family Code §2556 does not extend to division and adjudication of any separate property. Marriage of Klug (2005) 130 CA4th 1389, 1396, 31 CR3d 327, 331–332.

If an asset was partially omitted, the Court can still divide and adjudicate the portion that has been omitted postjudgment under family code §2566. Community Property adjudicated under § 2556 shall be divided equally “unless the court finds upon good cause shown that the interests of justice require an unequal division of the asset or liability.” Family Code §2556.

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com

solvent will not be returning soon to earning, spending, and investing- which is what our country needs to recover. So, without the remedies allowed by our bankruptcy laws, the whole country suffers eventually. Tens of millions of people have lost their jobs while companies, big and small, have closed their doors. This cannot continue if we want our economy to start moving again.

I get calls from people asking me whether they should cash out their retirement plans, 401K’s and IRA’s, to pay their debts while “waiting to see what happens” in the next few months. While in some cases there are valid reasons to wait before filing bankruptcy, I personally think it’s crazy to use your IRA or 401(k) if bankruptcy will wipe out your debts anyway. Why? Because IRA’s and 401(k)’s are fully exempt in bankruptcy and are beyond the reach of creditors. If you can file bankruptcy to wipe out your debts, why take your hard-earned life savings to pay your debts at this time especially when you don’t even know how your financial hardship will last in these uncertain times? If anything, you should keep your retirement plan intact because that might be the only thing you have left if you’ve exhausted and depleted all other savings up to this point.

Another question that has also come up lately is whether it makes sense to refinance your mortgage to cash out and pay creditors. Well, if you are filing Chapter 7, all your unsecured debt (with a few exceptions like student loans and taxes as examples) goes away. With the now generous homestead amounts

available under the new law, equity in your residence is most likely not going to be an issue anymore if you file bankruptcy.

So, why increase your mortgage debt unnecessarily especially if you’ve already been paying for so many years? Do you really want to start over with a 30-year mortgage again and spend all those closings costs? From experience, I’ve seen many homeowners cash out their equity only to regret it later after the money is all gone, and the debts are back up again where they were before the refinancing. It happens all the time.

Almost 100% of my bankruptcy cases are “no asset” cases, which means that my clients lose nothing but their debts. If the pandemic is pushing you to file bankruptcy as a last option, you SHOULD definitely look into it as a possible way to survive this pandemic. I know that this is probably the last thing that you ever want to do and if you’ve never done it before, you’ve probably never thought that you would even be in this situation to actually consider it.

The purpose of bankruptcy is to help you when you can no longer help yourself. The current pandemic has been a nationwide disaster that you have no control over, and it may take some time before our economy goes back to normal. Bankruptcy can give you that lifeline that you need to survive during this very difficult time. Again, you should at least know what your legal options are.

NOTE: Due to the current lockdown order caused by COVID-19, I am offering free consultations

BY PHONE to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems.

(None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772).

global NEWS GLOBAL NEWS No offer, no inquiry from US on Duterte's payment demand for VFA — Palace 8

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MANILA (Mabuhay) — The United States has yet to make any offer or inquiry on President Rodrigo Duterte's demand for Washington to "pay" for a troop deal with Manila, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Duterte on Friday said the US must "pay" if it wanted to keep its Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines.

Asked what payment the President demanded, his spokesman Harry Roque said: “Payment is generic. It can be anything... Wala namang (there is nothing) specific.”

“If they (US) ask for what our demand is, we will give it. But right now, I think it’s premature because there’s no offer, there’s no inquiry so far,” he told reporters in a video call.

US military aid for the Philippines amounts to "loose change" compared to other Asian countries, Roque said on Monday.

He cited a study by the Washington-based Stimson Center, which showed the Philippines received $3.9 billion in US counter-terrorism support from 2002-2017, compared to the $16.4 billion for Pakistan over the same period.

“Pakistan got $16 billion. We think we should get something similar or close to that amount, but definitely not the amount we are currently getting,” said the Palace spokesman.

“For now, what the President wants is if you want to continue using our territory, we want just compensation for it— hindi barya, hindi bulok na mga equipment. Iyong mga dumating pong equipment, binili po natin iyan, hindi po iyan ibinigay,” added Roque.

Duterte unilaterally canceled the VFA last year, in an angry response to the cancellation of the US visa of his close ally, Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa.

The withdrawal period has been twice extended, however, to create what Philippine officials have said is a window for better terms to be agreed on.

Defense officials from both countries are trying to salvage the VFA, which underpins the Mutual Defense Treaty and an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. Duterte has threatened to scrap all of them.

The US embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In December, it said the Philippines got the most US military assis-

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

U.S. Soldiers train alongside Philippine Soldiers during counterterrorism training in support of Balikatan 2017 at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, May 9, 2017 (US Embassy in the Philippines)

tance in the Indo-Pacific region, having received P33 billion pesos worth of hardware.

Roque said Duterte was upholding the national interest and not committing extortion, as some critics, including Vice President Leni Robredo, have said. His demand was for compensation, because the rotating US troop presence put the Philippines at risk. (MNS)

DILG orders PNP to arrest bogus COVID-19 vaccine sellers

PASIG MAYOR VICO SOTTO

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to arrest people who are selling or administering fake COVID-19 vaccines.

The order came as Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto warned the public against buying fake vaccines already being sold.

In a statement, DILG officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Bernardo Florece Jr. said the department received reports that fake vaccines are circulating in the market.

“Some people are taking advantage of the pandemic to make money by selling fake vaccines,” he said.

“I am directing the PNP to arrest these criminals and ensure that these bogus vaccines are taken off the market,” he

added.

In a Twitter post, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto earlier uploaded a picture of supposedly fake Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, warning the public not to buy them.

“Beware! ‘Wag bumili sa mga ganito! Picture pa lang kita nang mali ang handling. Maglolokohan lang kayo niyan.

Dapat dumaan sa nasyonal na pamahalaan ang pagbili ng kahit anong bakuna,” he said.

The PNP Aviation Security Group, Maritime Group, among others should monitor air and sea ports to prevent the entry of these items, Florece said.

Local government units should also coordinate with the police on the matter, he added.

Florece encourage the public to report these sellers. “Huwag po kayong magpapaloko. Tanging sa pamahalaan lamang po dadaan ang mga lehitimong bakuna at maliban dito ay ireport ninyo po ang mga nagbebenta at nagtuturok ng mga pekeng COVID-19 vaccines.” (MNS)

More tremors recorded in Taal Volcano in past 24 hours — PHIVOLCS

TAAL VOLACANO MANIL A (Mabuhay) — Aut horit ies have recorded more tremor activities at Taal Volcano in the past 24 hours, according to the latest PHIVOLCS bulletin on Thursday.

PHIVOLCS said the Taal Volcano Network recorded 91 tremor episodes having durations of one to five minutes.

The number has increased compared to the 69 tremors recorded on Wednesday.

Wea k emission of w h ite ste a m-laden plumes that rose five meters high from fumaroles was observed in t he ma in crater.

PHIVOLCS said this is lower compared to the

20-meter high white steam-laden plumes on Wednesday.

Other details on Taal Volcano activities indicated in the previous bulletin were maintained.

On February 12, the temperat u re of t he main crater lake was measu red at 77.1°C with a pH of 1.59, according to PHIVOLCS. Si nc e O c tob er, a slight deflation around the main crater has been observed.

“Overall, very slow and steady inf lation of the Taal region has been recorded by continuous GPS data after t he er uption,” PHIVOLCS said.

A ler t L e vel 1 i s maintained over Taal Volcano, which means sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas may occur.

These hazards threaten areas within the Taa l Volcano I s l a nd , PH I VOL C S warned.

Recently, authorities evacuated residents f rom Ta a l Volc a no Island, a permanent danger zone. When the volcano became quiet after the January 2020 eruption, some people returned to the area, authorities said. (MNS)

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Myanmar repatriation testament to PH commitment to assist OFWs MANILA (Mabuhay) — The repatriation of over a hundred Filipinos in Myanmar is a testament that the Philippine government is committed to its promise to assist any distressed nationals abroad.

"It is a testament that I will not leave my people to be hostages to chance or, to use the elegant word, fortune. See Pocock, the Machiavellian moment required reading by Unger in Harvard," Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday repatriated some 139 Filipinos amid the current Covid-19 travel restrictions, as well as the political situation in Myanmar.

Locsin welcomed their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Among those repatriated were 11 dependent children and four dependent parents, including two senior citizens, of the repatriated Filipinos who

worked as professionals in Myanmar and whose contracts were seriously affected by the Covid-19 restrictions in the country.

Since the start of its pandemic-related repatriations in March 2020, the DFA, through its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs

(OUMWA) and the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, has repatriated a total of 509 overseas Filipinos from Myanmar via DFA-chartered flights.

“The Philippine government, especially the DFA, stands ready to bring home any Filipino who wishes to come home during this pandemic. Through the Assistance to Nationals Fund, the Department continues to repatriate our distressed overseas Filipinos wherever they may be,” DFA Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said in a separate statement.

The latest flight was the second one chartered by the DFA from Yangon, while 12 other special flights were facilitated by the DFA in collaboration with airline companies.

It also came days after the military junta seized power and arrested several of the country's democratically-elected leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, which have since prompted mass protests demanding the release of those detained. (MNS)

Peralta questions petitioners claim of 'vague offenses' under ATA MANILA (Mabuhay) — The country's top magistrate has questioned the contention of petitioners against the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 claiming the vagueness of the definition of offenses covered by the law.

During Tuesday's oral arguments at the Supreme Court (SC), Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said Section 4 and paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of the law are not really unique insofar as it penalizes what may appear to be "preparatory" intended acts of terrorism.

In interpellating law yer Jose Manuel Diokno, he noted that even before t he passage of t h e l a w, criminalizing “pre-

SC CHIEF JUSTICE DIOSDADO PERALTA

paratory” acts is covered in some laws.

Among offenses that may be prosecuted, Peralta said, even in the preparatory stage include "proposals to commit a crime of rebellion, conspiracy to commit the crime of sedition and proposal and conspiracy to commit rebellion, treason, and coup d' etat".

“These (penalizing preparatory acts) are not new.

These acts were already there since 1932 when the Revised Penal Code was crafted. So, if the Anti Terrorism Law now provides preparatory acts as crimes, are these provisions now void?" Peralta said.

Three of the five enumerations being questioned in Section 4 of the ATA define terrorism as being committed by persons who, among other things, engages in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury or endangers a person’s life, cause extensive damage or destruction to

a government or public facility, public place or private property, or cause extensive interference with damage or destruction to critical infrastructure.

“What is vague and void under these enumerations?,” Peralta asked Diokno.

Peralta added that it seemed the new law prevents a situation where an actual incident of a predicate crime such as murder or must actually occur before a crime of terrorism is considered committed.

“Patayan muna bago (There must be somebody who must be killed first before) terrorism,” the head magistrate said, describing the previous situation prior to the new law, adding “it would seem from predicate crimes must first be committed before they can be covered and considered as terrorist acts".

Pera lta, a long w it h Associate Justice Amy

Solon seeks inquiry into PH energy transition plan M ANIL A (Mabuhay) — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the government’s energy transition plan following the Department of Energy’s (DOE) move last year banning new coal power plants to accelerate the country’s shift to cleaner energy.

Garchalian, chairman of Senate energy committee, underscored the importance of the country having a clear energy transition framework to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement which focuses widely on reducing Greenhouse Gases Emissions (GHG) through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) which aims to reduce the country’s GHG by 70 percent by 2030.

“Until when will the coal moratorium be? How can other technologies fill in the gap left by coal and how do we ensure that power cost will not increase while ensuring continuous supply?” Gatchalian raised in a news release on Tuesday.

He said that at this point it is uncertain if the moratorium that was issued by the DOE is in the context of a larger energy transition plan and what the higher targets are for Renewable Energy (RE) and alternative fuels within a specific timeframe.

“Investing in renewable energy is the win-win solution for sustained economic growth in the country. We

can have cleaner air at a much cheaper price and RE investments can bring in lots of job opportunities especially since many of our kababayans lost their jobs during this pandemic,” he added.

Gatchalian took note that the country recorded a 5.4 percent jump in total GHG emissions from 123.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2018 to 130 million MtCO2e in 2019.

As of 2019, the power generator sector has the largest share in total GHG emissions at 53.2 percent followed by the transport sector at 27.3 percent.

The percentage of coal in the power generation mix also increased to 54.59 percent in 2019 from 26.6 percent in 2009 while RE’s share in the power generation mix decreased to 20.79 percent in 2019 from 32.6 percent in 2009.

A study by the American credit rating agency Fitch Solutions showed that the Philippines is expected to continue its dependence on coal in the coming years with coal accounting for 59 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2029.

“Thus, there’s a need to look into the country’s energy transition plan, or lack thereof, in aid of legislation, with the end view of developing and ensuring an equitable, secure, and sustainable energy transition," Gatchalian said. (MNS)

Lazaro-Javier, in interpellating Diokno and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, also questioned the opposition to provisions in the ATA that allows detention of up to 24 days.

Lazaro-Javier, meanwhile, pointed out that the provision under the Revised Penal Code on the deadline that an individual must be brought to judicial authorities after his arrest has changed throughout the years from “as soon as possible” to one hour to six hours to one day to up to anywhere from 12 to 36 hours depending on the gravity of the offense.

She opined that the provision affected by the ATA, Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code which penalizing undue delay in the delivery

of arrested persons, may be considered” a work of progress” and jested whether the petitioners would expect the deadlines “will stay like that forever.”

“Do you agree that our laws have also evolved to cope up with the present time to reflect our experiences where previous experiences would no longer be practical?,” Javier asked Diokno.

Peralta, meanwhile, said the original deadlines on the period of detention were drafted when the population of the country was still very small compared to the present.

Peralta also added that “the experience is that cases are filed hastily because of this restrictive (period)”. (MNS)

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IN-HOME CAREGIVERS: ARE YOU PAID OVERTIME? IF you are employed as a 24hour caregiver, working aroundthe-clock to provide care and assistance to an individual inside their home, you are most likely entitled to overtime compensation. If you are paid a fixed daily rate, regardless of the actual hours you work or the quality and quantity of work you perform, you are not receiving overtime compensation and likely have a valuable claim for wage theft. This is true whether you are hired directly by the care recipient or paid though a home care agency.

In 2014 the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights (“DWBR”) became law in California. The law was passed as part of a movement to enhance the rights of domestic workers, whom the California Legislature deemed to be some of the most invisible and vulnerable workers in the state. Now, under the DWBR, in-home caregivers are entitled to receive overtime wages for all hours worked in excess of 9 in a day or 45 in a week.

Starting in 2021, most 24-hour caregivers working in California must be paid a minimum of $409.50 per day to comply with the requirements of the DWBR. The first 9-hours of work should be paid at the legal minimum wage rate of $13.00 per hour, which equals $117.00. Then, for the remaining 15 hours, the law requires overtime payments at a rate of $19.50 per hour, which amounts to an additional $292.50 per day.

Unfortunately, in actual practice, most caregivers receive far less than the applicable minimum wage, often earning as little as $180 to $240 per day. A 24-hour caregiver who is earning less than $409.50 per day likely has a very valuable claim for wage theft.

For example, if you are a caregiver working 24-hours per day, 5 days per week for a daily rate of $200/day, your weekly unpaid overtime claim is calculated as follows: Your daily rate of $200 is divided by 9 hours to calculate a regular rate of pay, equal to $22.22 per hour. Your overtime rate is 1.5 times your regular rate of pay, which amounts to

$33.33 per hour.

Your pre-determined salary does not compensate you, at all, for the 15 daily overtime hours you work.

So, each day, you accrue $500.00 of unpaid over time wages.

Employers, who willfully fail to pay an employee the requisite overtime compensation, are also subject to liquidated damages, which could add an additional $195.00 per day to the wage theft claim. Plus, the law provides for interest, attorneys fees, and

penalties.

In the above example, the hypothetical caregiver is owed $3,475 in unpaid overtime wages per week. On a yearly basis, the overtime claim alone exceeds $180,000. We have helped many caregivers whose claims exceed $500,000 in damages with the addition of penalties, liquidated damages and interest, after working for several years.

Caregivers, who are victims of wage theft, may recover their unpaid wages going back 4 years from the date a lawsuit is filed in court. We have helped many caregivers file claims against their former employers.

Even if you last worked several years ago, you still have time to pursue a claim. The one exception is if the care recipient patient has passed away. In that instance, a claim against the care recipient’s estate must be filed within 1 year of their passing, or sooner if an estate has been opened.

If you are a caregiver and are hesitant to proceed with claims for wage theft against your current or former employer please visit our website at www.caregiverovertime.com/pa/concerns/ to review our article that addresses many of the common concerns we have heard from caregivers.

If you are a caregiver working 24-hour shifts without overtime compensation, we want to talk with you about your legal rights. We provide compassionate and confidential consultations. Please contact us at (818) 807-4168, for a free case evaluation.

This article is an attorney advertisement written by Daniel Chaleff, employment law attorney at Chaleff Rehwald Peterson. Our office is located at 5855 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 400, Woodland Hills, California. We accept cases throughout all of Northern and Southern California. Our examples are of a general nature and are not a guarantee regarding the outcome of your individual matter. The law firm focuses on caregiver rights. Please call us at (818) 807-4168 for a free and confidential consultation. Please visit us at www.caregiverovertime.com/ to learn more about caregiver overtime law. We offer a 24-hour chat line on our website.

AFP must be able to stand alone even without VFA — Sobejana MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be able to stand alone even if the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States is abrogated.

"Well as an organization, as (the) AFP we should be able to stand alone because we cannot be so dependent on other countries. Ang sinasabi natin (what we say is) we should be on top of situation always so it is just a matter of allocating what we have, optimizing the utilization of our resources to make things happen, to solve problems, and achieve long and lasting peace and progress," said AFP chief, Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

Sobejana added the VFA is for the training of a large number of troops and that American personnel are never allowed or included in actual AFP operations.

"Hindi naman sila kasama sa operations actually natin so enhancement of our capability lang ang kanilang naipamigay dahil tayo mismo physically ang humaharap sa kalaban ng ating estado," he added.

Also, Sobejana clarified that the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the US and the Philippines is still standing despite the talks about the VFA. "The VFA is just one, meron pa tayong (we still have the) MDT with the

United States, wala pa namang pinagusapan (there are no talks about it). The MDT remains so nandun pa rin yung ating relationship (our relationship remains). VFA lang naman yung binanggit ng ating Pangulo (It was only the VFA that was mentioned by the President). The MDT, as what I have said, remains and it

shall continue to function as long as walang pagbabago sa usapan (there are no changes in the talks). Let's differentiate VFA from MDT and in that treaty, it is explicitly cited that in times of aggression our allies, the US armed forces, in particular, will be on our side," he added. (MNS)

AFP CHIEF, LT. GEN. CIRILITO SOBEJANA

PH installs more sovereign markers on northern islands MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippine military on Wednesday installed markers on two islands north of Cagayan to assert sovereignty in the country's maritime territory.

The Northern Luzon Command, in a statement, said it placed sovereign markers at Mabaag and Barit Islands in Aparri, Cagayan in addition to the 11 markers installed last

year in uninhabited islands north of the province within the Babuyan Channel.

It said the markers were placed in "prominent areas...making them clearly visible to vessels transiting the waterways in the country's northern maritime territory."

"These islands and their surrounding territorial waters are an integral part of the country's territory. Thus, these markers will help us ensure that our sovereignty will be recognized in these areas," said Commodore Caesar Valencia, commander of Naval Forces Northern Luzon.

The maritime territory must be secured as it is a "key source of livelihood due to its abundant marine resources and a strategic trading route to

boost our economy," said Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Burgos Jr, commander of Northern Luzon Command.

"Rest assured that we will remain proactive and vigilant in ensuring the security of our people, as we safeguard our sovereignty and preserve the integrity of our national territory in this part of our country," he said.

Philippine Nav y Vice Admiral Giovanni Bacordo earlier said the country is repairing several vessels that would be deployed to the West Philippine Sea following China's new law which authorizes its coast guard to fire at foreign vessels and tear down structures built by other countries.

China continues to reject the 2016 ruling of a UN-backed tribunal which invalidates its expansive claims to the disputed South China Sea, where it aggressively built military bases and tested its missiles.

(MNS)

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Pechanga Celebrates LNY with Lion Dance This last year has been different in so many ways. But if you celebrated Lunar New Year, Pechanga understands the importance and cultural significance of the occasion for so many in our Southern California community. The resort held a brief lion dance in an outdoor courtyard to bless the resort for the Year of the Ox. The blessing was not open to the public or spectators. The performers danced beau�fully AND safely. Pechanga remains commi�ed to its stringent, comprehensive health and safety measures ins�tuted since June 1. They hope to be able to fully celebrate Lunar New Year tradi�ons like they have for many years in the past at Pechanga next year.

PHLPost ready to implement proposed mail-in voting for 2022 polls M A N IL A ( Ma bu hay) — lin Drilon, on the other hand, The Philippine Postal nixed the possibility of Corporation (PHLhaving mail-in balPost) on Thurslots in t he 2022 day ex pressed elect ions, sayr e ad i ne s s to ing it would be implement prone to irregthe proposed ularities. mail-in votFor its part, i ng for t he the Commis2022 polls to sion on Elechelp reduce t ions sa id t he spread pilot testing of COV ID-19 for the mail-in during the convoting is possiduct of the elecble. tions.

"All we need is During a Senate the assurance from Committee on Electorthe postal office that SENATOR IMEE MARCOS al Reforms hearing, Engr. the ballot will arrive not Joel Zamudio, acting assistant later than Election Day. Kasi baka postmaster general for operations at doon tayo magkakaroon ng problema, PHLPost, said they are already final- tapos na yung election and then here izing their computerized system that come mail-in ballots," said Comelec will allow mail-in voting by the 2022 Commissioner Marlon Casquejo. elections.

"But I think the postal office naman "We are enhancing our current is a very competent naman, because system and we expect that the full of their computerization kaya naman computerization will be done this nila," he added year," he said.

Zamudio agreed with Casquejo that "Ang schedule namin is it will be pilot testing for the mail-in voting can implemented by April or May. We are be done. sure that by 2022 all of the systems are "We support the recommendation matured already," he added. that it will be done on a pilot test baSenator Imee Marcos, chair of the sis and we will work closely with the electoral reforms panel, earlier pro- Comelec to discuss these areas where posed the mail-in voting system, add- we can implement mail-in voting," ing that the 2022 polls could serve as he said. a pilot-test for it.

"By 2022, we will be having infraShe also filed a bill seeking to create structure facilities to include computa postal voting system for senior cit- erized mail processing to ensure that izens, pregnant, indigenous people, the ballots will be delivered on time and persons with disabilities. and secured," he added.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III The 2022 national and local elecand Senate Minority Leader Frank- tions are set for May 9, 2022. (MNS)

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No reason for De Lima to celebrate despite dismissal of one drug case — Palace

MANILA (Mabuhay) — As far as Malacañang is concerned, Senator Leila de Lima has no reason to celebrate despite the junking of her drug-related case by he Muntinlupa Regional Court.

In a press briefing on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque pointed out that only one of De Lima's three drug cases has been dismissed by the court.

"Wala ho kaming reaksiyon kasi may nakabinbin pang dalawang kaso," Roque said.

"Bakit po siya magsi-celebrate eh andun pa rin siya sa selda niya?” he added.

A staunch critic of the Duterte administration, De Lima is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

De Lima has earlier said that to be "acquitted even in just one case, is a moral victory."

The court dismissed the drug case against de Lima and a certain Jose Adrian Dera by granting her demurrer to evidence — a pleading seeking

Velasco lauds move to certify vaccine indemnification bill

SENATOR LEILA DE LIMA the dismissal of the case due to weak prosecution evidence and without the defense presenting its own.

The Muntinlupa court said the prosecution failed to establish evidence that De Lima conspired with Dera in the alleged illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison her stint as Justice Secretary, with Dera supposedly collecting drug money from inmate Peter Co.

"While there exists a factual link t hat Peter Co delivered money through his bank transactions, this Court is convinced that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to establish Dera’s relationship or connection with De Lima," the court said in its ruling.

De Lima, who has denied the accusations against her, has been detained since February 2017. (MNS)

No eating, no calls, no bathroom breaks in case cinemas reopen: DOH official MANILA (Mabuhay) — Once cinemas in the country reopen in March a year after the country started implementing quarantine measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, moviegoers should follow health protocols and precautionary measures, a Department of Health official said Thursday.

“Hindi pupunuin ang sinehan. Bawal kumain. Bawal tumanggap ng tawag, naka-off ang telepono… 'Wag kayong gagamit ng CR sa sinehan hangga’t maaari, at malamang sa hindi ay mababawasan natin yung risk,” said Dr. Eric Tayag, director of DOH’s Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service.

All moviegoers should wear masks as well, he added.

Tayag gave the advice as the government allowed the re-opening of cinemas beginning March 1 amid concerns raised by mayors and experts.

The official said because people are not facing each other and seats will be apart, the risk is not that high.

There might be fewer screenings in a day to give way to disinfection after every screening, he noted.

He reminded those who are sick or undergoing quarantine that they cannot go out and watch movies.

Tayag explained that the recommendations of the Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 are not zero risk but that there are ways to manage the risk while balancing the needs of the economy.

For those who feel that going to the movies is still risky, he said there are other forms of entertainment such as drive-in cinemas and online videos.

“Ang binigay na threshold ng Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention ng United States) sa isang kulob na lugar, hindi ventilated, dapat hindi lalagpas ng dalawang oras. 'Pag lagpas dalawang oras na, tumataas ang risk,” Tayag said when asked how long people can stay in areas that are not open air.

He said this is why the number of cases in an area and the strategy of the local government unit also matter in this issue.

“Maraming lugar sa Pilipinas, wala na masyadong kaso. Kung wala masyado, bakit hindi buksan? Kung palagay ninyo malalagay kayo sa panganib, 'wag po kayong manood,” he said.

As regards the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority to allow those aged 5 to 70 to go out of their homes, Tayag said the observance of health protocols by the community will have to be considered in coming up with a final decision.

“May dahilan po kung bakit pinapayagan 'yan ng IATF. Sapagkat ang susunod na hakbang n'yan ay mabigyan na ulit ng new normal, ang ating mag-aaral ay unti-unting bumalik na sila sa kanilang silid paaralan,” he said.

He said being cooped up inside the house is also not good for the mental health of children, especially those who are used to being around their age.

“Subalit, hindi naman sinasabi na 'yan ay ligtas na. May kaakibat pa rin 'yan na panganib, lalong lalo na wala pang bakuna para sa mga bata. Kaya ang magulang ang s'yang magiging gabay,” Tayag said.

He advised parents to observe if members of their community are following health protocols, such as the wearing of masks and the observing physical distancing.

If people in the community are disciplined, then parents can allow their children to go out,

he said.

Different parts of the Philippines have been under varying degrees of quarantine restrictions since March last year. Among those most affected are children and senior citizens who have not been allowed to go to out of their homes because they are considered vulnerable to the infectious disease.

On Thursday, the country's COVID-19 cases breached the 555,000 mark, with 1,744 new cases reported by the health department amid the lingering uncertainty on the date of arrival of COVID-19 vaccines.

Presidential spokesman Harr y Roque said the delivery of the 600,000dose donation from China's Sinovac might arrive later than the initially set date of Feb. 23 as the company wants the Philippines to first grant it an emergency use authorization.

The expected arrival of Pfizer's vaccine from the COVAX Facility this week was also pushed back due to additional requirements.

PH still has to sign separate indemnity deal with Pfizer for its COVID-19 vaccine, says WHO Up to 70 million are targeted for inoculation in the country to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus. (MNS)

MANILA (Mabuhay) — House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Thursday lauded President Rodrigo Duterte's move to certify as urgent a measure establishing a vaccine indemnity fund and expediting the purchase of vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Velasco said House Bill 8648 seeks to expedite the purchase and administration of vaccines to ensure that all Filipinos, particularly the elderly and those in the marginalized sectors, will be inoculated and protected from the deadly disease.

The measure provides exemptions to compliance by local government units with the procurement requirements under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act in the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines and other much-needed supplies during the pandemic.

The vaccines will be exempted from customs duties, value-added tax, excise tax, and other fees provided that the shots to be acquired

by LGUs “shall only be used for their residents and constituents, and not for commercial distribution.”

“The President’s certification of the bill as urgent will also help our LGUs transition to some kind of normalcy as we aim to further open the economy to help the business sector reopen and reemploy those who have been displaced by the pandemic,” Velasco said.

Another important feature of the bill is the creation and administration of an indemnification fund for the adverse events following immunization.

Velasco also welcomed Duterte’s memorandum order allowing LGUs to make a 50 percent advance payment to manufacturers for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

“This is an important step in our fight to defeat the spread of Covid-19 as this allows the speedy procurement of the most effective vaccines by LGUs cognizant that any delay would have serious consequences on how we move forward from this pandemic,” he said. (MNS)

DFA warns groups financing CPPNPA, other ATC-listed terrorists

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned any organization or groups extending financial support either "directly or indirectly" to terrorist groups listed in Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) resolutions.

In a public advisory dated Feb. 16 and published Feb. 18, the agency said under ATC Resolutions 12 and 13, issued pursuant to Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, the following are designated as terrorist organizations: Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA); and Islamic State East Asia, Maute Group, Dawlah Islamiya, and other associated groups.

"Any financial support that is directly or indirectly extended to these groups by any organization, association, group of persons or individuals shall be dealt with in accordance with existing laws and regulations," DFA warned.

Citing the two ATC resolutions, the DFA noted that assets of the groups shall also be "subject to investigation and/or freezing by the Anti-Money Laundering Council".

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (MNS)

Business BUSINESS Philippine banks cheer passage of FIST Law

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BSP GOVERNOR BENJAMIN DIOKNO

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Philippine banks on Thursday cheered the passage of the law which would allow financial institutions to offload soured loans to asset management companies, which they said would lead to higher lending activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) expressed its support to the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) bill, which allows a corporation to invest in or acquire non-performing assets (NPAs) from financial institutions and engage third parties to manage and dispose of such assets.

"The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) is supportive of the anticipatory passage of the FIST Act into law. Its timely enactment will further strengthen the role of the financial industry in the economic recovery of the country," it said in an emailed statement.

"With this measure, banks can gradually recover from non-performing loans (NPLs) that have increased due to the pandemic. As financial institutions utilize the special purpose vehicles, banks may now continue to increase lending activities to help spur economic activity," it added.

FIST was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week, backed by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno, who said that the borrower's capacity may be weakened by a disruption in their cash flows by end2020.

Data from the BSP shows that outstanding loans of universal and commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase (RRP) placements with the central bank, fell by 0.7% in December even as policy rates are currently at record lows -- the overnight reverse repurchase (RRP) facility at 2.00%, the overnight deposit at 1.5%, and the overnight lending facility at 2.5%.

The central bank reduced policy rates by 200 basis points in 2020 -25 basis points in February; 50 basis points each in March, April, and June; and another 25 basis points in

November.

According to Diokno, the draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the FIST Law is now with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and is now being circulated to the industry for comments.

"BAP looks forward to the issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulations that will cover all NPAs and NPLs as of December 31, 2021 as provided by the law," the Bankers Association said. (MNS)

Gov't looks for low dead space syringe supplier — DOH MANILA (Mabuhay) — A health of f icia l on Tuesday sa id t he government is looking for a supplier of low dead space sy ringes to maximize the number of Covid-19 vaccine shots in each vial.

“Actually, there’s this one supplier pero ‘yung ating nilagay na presyo ay sobrang taas naman po ‘yung sa supplier at hindi naman po aabot ‘yung ating (but the price of the supplier for the syringes is a bit high and we don’t have enough) budget for that,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a televised Laging Handa public briefing.

She noted t hat t he P f i z erBioN Te c h C ov id-19 Va c c i ne which will arrive in the country is packaged with the low dead space syringe.

“For COVAX facility, kasama po syringe for their Covid-19 vaccine ang heringilya na ibibigay nila sa rollout. atin pero tayo pa rin po ay patuloy Low dead space syringes are nagpo-procure at naghahanap ng designed to ma ximize the use (the syringes are included in the of cost ly or limited supply of vaccines they will give us but we medication especially during a continue to procure and look for) pandemic. (MNS) suppliers to provide us with this type of syringe,” she added.

There is a need for enough supply of low dead space syringes worldwide.

Apa r t f rom t he Philippines, Japan i s a not her A sia n country searching for suppliers t hat could prov ide enoug h qua nt it y of low dead space Low dead space syringes (Drug & Alcohol Findings)

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Saturday-Friday February 20 - 26, 2021 Visit www.Balita.com

Bea Alonzo not doing TV sitcom How BTS helped Arci Muñoz with John Lloyd Cruz move on from her breakup

T

here is no television show for now for Bea Alonzo.

This is the clarification of Alonzo’s management firm amid reports that the actress is set to do a sitcom with actor John Lloyd Cruz.

“No, not true,” said Shirley Kuan, Alonzo’s new manager said regarding persistent speculations about her reunion team-up with Cruz in a TV5 sitcom under Brightlight Productions.

Kuan also disclosed that Alonzo is now preparing for her movie shoot with Alden Richards in the Filipino adaptation of the 2004 hit Korean film "A Moment to Remember."

Directed by Nuel Naval, it’s about the love story of a couple struggling with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The reunion with John Lloyd will start right after Bea-Alden shoot,” Kuan stressed.

In a previous interview, Kuan said Alonzo remains committed to her reunion film with Cruz.

Alonzo said as much in her recent interview with PEP where she recounted how she personally sought

JOHN LLOYD CRUZ

BEA ALONZO the blessings of ABS-CBN's top brass for her project with Richards.

“Gusto kong hingin iyong blessing niya (ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak) and naging mabait [naman sila]. Even before we said yes to doing a project with Alden, nagkaroon kami ng courtesy to tell them first before we even agree,” she said in the interview.

Alonzo also emphasized she did not want to bypass ABS-CBN which nurtured her career for two decades.

“I don’t like stepping on people’s toes. Gusto ko laging maayos, lalo na kung parang sobrang tagal nila akong inalagaan,” Alonzo said, adding that she also remains open to any potential ABS-CBN TV project.

Kuan had also stated that the process of Alonzo’s transition has been “low key, peaceful and respectful on both sides.”

Alonzo’s manager added the actress is now preparing for quarantine and the long haul of story conferenc-

es, workshops and lock-in shoot of “A Moment to Remember,” her first big film after the 2019 horror thriller “Eerie."

Viva Films associate producer Ianne Oandasan told ABS-CBN News that Alonzo and other cast members of “A Moment to Remember” will still undergo acting workshops under Nonie Buencamino.

Target start of their shoot in Manila and other locales will be by the second week of March. (MNS)

ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Actress Arci Muñoz on Monday once again expressed her love for Korean boy group BTS, especially for member Park Ji-min.

Muñoz shared the reason why she fell in love with the group, which started in August 2019 after watching the group's video "Boy with Luv." "Tapos sabi ko sino 'yung napakagandang nilalang na 'yon, si Ji-min, tapos sobra na akong na-in love. Sabi ko siguro ganito talaga ako, mabilis akong tamaan pero ang galing talaga niyang sumayaw taARCI MUÑOZ pos ang cute, cute niya. Tapos since then nag-backtrack na ako ng mga video nila. Sabi nga nila, 'once you Jim-in you can not Jim-out,'" she said.

"I don't know the reason kung bakit ako dinirek nila Lord sa kanila. 'Yun pala magiging source of happiness ko sila, kasi hinahanda niya ako sa break up," the actress added.

Munoz said that the group really helped her in moving on.

"Because they really make me happy. At

CONTNUED ON PAGE 15

Vin Abrenica, Sophie Albert expecting their first child ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Days after announcing their engagement, Vin Abrenica and Sophie Albert surprised their social media followers anew by sharing that they are expecting their first child together.

Abrenica and Albert revealed this wonderful news through their respective posts on Instagram.

“I can't wait to hold you,” Albert told her unborn child after posting a photo showing off her baby bump.

“Thank you everyone for your all warm wishes. Our hearts are full. Happy Valentine's day, I hope all your hearts are filled to the brim,” she added.

Abrenica, for his part, also expressed how he can no

Heart Evangelista doesn't mind getting cosmetic surgery when older

longer wait to meet their little one.

“Ahhhh! I can't wait! Gigil,” he said.

It was only on Saturday that Abrenica and Albert announced that they are engaged to wed, saying they actually marked the milestone in December.

“You’ll never know when you are truly ready until you realize who you’re living and breathing for. It’s you @itssophiealbert,” Abrenica said in a caption of a photo of them kissing underwater.

“We’ve grown up together and I look forward to growing old together. Good luck @itssophiealbert, you are stuck with me for life. We’re engaged!”

ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Heart Evangelista has denied once again that she had cosmetic surgery to enhance her looks.

In her most recent vlog that’s now trending on YouTube, Evangelista reiterated that she never had a nose job or a double eyelid surgery.

“I didn’t, ang kulit. I didn’t nga. I didn’t get it done. It’s not that I have anything against plastic surgery. I’m for it. I have friends that have done it and relatives and I’m super, duper

Albert, meanwhile, waxed sentimental about overcoming the challenges of the previous year, fittingly with Abrenica’s proposal to cap 2020.

“Before 2020 came to an end, the love of my life proposed to me,” she wrote.

“Despite all the challenges we had to face, we were able to close the year filled with so much hope and love as amazing surprises happened in our lives. We’ve been savoring our precious moments and we are ready to share our joy and excitement! We are engaged!”

“Thank you @vinabrenica for everything. Thank you for being you and for making everything special. I am blessed to have you as my best friend for life.”

VIN ABRENICA & SOPHIE ALBERT Abrenica and Albert, as the latter previously put it, have “known each other for 9 years, been together for 8.”

Shortly after they celebrated their eighth anniversary in January, the couple announced moving in together, as their brand-new home finally neared completion. (MNS)

supportive,” she said.

Evangelista said one of the reasons she did not have anything done on her face was be-

HEART EVANGELISTA

cause she started really young in showbiz “so I’m so conscious about changing or altering my image.”

The actress said some things just really do change as a person gets older.

“The collagen, you have less baby fat on your face, your face is more contoured. Also when you lose weight, that changes a lot. There are a lot of ways to change the way you look. Age is one, what you eat, sodium is such a big difference. When you

cut that out, the bloating is gone.

I really didn’t [get cosmetic surgery],” she said.

Nonetheless, the actress admitted that she has nothing against it. In fact, she does not mind getting one when she’s older.

“I don’t mind getting Botox when I’m older. I don’t mind changing a few things when I’m older. I hope I don’t scar because I scar bad. I’m really for it but I just didn’t have anything done,” she said. (MNS)

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

HOW... frOm PAge 14 first I really don't know what to expect kung bakit I was stanning this group so hard.

Then I realized they make me so happy, they really make me so happy that I tend to forget all my problems. And for sure a lot of ARMYs out there can relate that they really touched my life in so many levels," she explained.

Asked what's with the BTS that she adores, the actress said: "Kapag pinanood mo sila you will see this very glamorous, very talented, ganda ng music videos. You will see their other side kasi they have a variety show which is called 'Run BTS.' So you will see the other side of them na they are just boys who want to have fun, very talented, very inspirational because they also came from like the bottom. When they'd been launched parang medyo naging underdog sila. So it's just inspiring na itong simpleng kids and boys ngayon is ruling the world of entertainment," Muñoz said.

In 2019, the actress went to Seoul, South Korea, where she went full-on fangirl for BTS -she even got a BTS-inspired tattoo.

"Ipinatato ko sa Korea, ibig sabihin love yourself. So during that time that I was going through my heartbreak parang sabi ko, it's time for me to love myself talaga muna. So ibang meaning talaga 'yung bawat words, and lyrics and their music in my life. So talagang tinamaan ako during that time.

In three months nakalimang bansa ako para lang manood sa kanila. Grabe ang lala," Muñoz shared.

Aside from watching their shows, the actress also shared how she waited for hours just to visit the House of BTS, a pop-up store in the Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul, where fans can buy BTS merchandise.

"I think ang isang devoted passionate Army will really do that. They will do that. I will do that. Sabi ko, grabe, limang oras para lang makapasok ako rito. Kaya nung pagkapasok ko binili ko talaga ('yung gusto ko)," she said, adding that her mother is also a BTS fan.

(MNS)

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Sunshine Dizon makes her directorial debut in ‘B&B’ series

S

unshine Dizon’s dream of becoming a director has finally came true as her first directorial project premiered recently.

The Kapuso actress was assigned as the second unit director for WeTV Originals and Sanggre Productions’ upcoming series “B&B: The Story of Brody & Brandy” that began streaming last February 14.

Sunshine revealed that the opportunity wasn’t at all planned. In fact, it only started during the project's pre-production stage.

“To make things efficient, and makabawas din ng mga sequences, it started with ‘oh, ikaw na yung mag second unit’ and pangarap ko ‘yon eh. So sabi ko ‘okay sige',” she said.

“Nag-open lang yung door, ta’s pumasok lang din ako sa pinto,” she added.

Sunshine is thankful to be working with experienced and supportive people for her first time.

As a director, she prefers letting the scenes flow naturally and trusting the actors on how they can portray their characters.

“Yung akin lang is, ayoko

lang talaga [na] nakakakita ng artista na umaarte pa. The more organic and the more natural it is, do’n tayo,” she said.

“Kung saan niyo kayang dalhin yung eksena, go tayo diyan.

‘Pag meron lang ako nakita na parang kailangan pa ng konting dagdag o baguhin, then I will let you know,” she continued.

Spearheading the project, director Mark Reyes said Sunshine didn't need lessons to do great.

“Sunshine is a director by experience. I mean she has been acting for (years.) She has worked with the likes of Joel Lamangan,” he said.

“Even during the time of 'Mystified,' you could already see that she had it in her. She would take control of the scenes that she’s involved in and she would actually make suggestions,” said Georgette Tengco, Country Manager of WeTV Philippines.

Iza Calzado who is playing Brandy in the series added that she is “honored, happy

and proud to be her [Sunshine's] first actress.”

“She came prepared. Even if she never went to a directing school or whatever, she’s been researching and bantay sarado talaga ang emotional art ng bawat character,” she said.

“I see a really bright sunshine for Sunshine as a director,” she added.

Ian Veneracion playing “Brody,” meanwhile, stated that Sunshine did a “wonderful” job, especially with the scenes that became more “layered and complex” because of her suggestions.

SUNSHINE DIZON “Hindi mahahalata na first time. Kung ‘di nila sinabi sa’kin, ‘di ko malalaman na fi rst time niya mag-direct,” he said.

“I hope in the future makatrabaho [ko ulit siya] as my director,” he added.

“B&B: The Story of Brody & Brandy” is a romantic comedy series following two lovers turned competitors after Ian’s character puts up a bed and breakfast business right in front of Iza’s.

Aside from Iza and Ian, it also stars Emmanuel Vera, Ian Ignacio, Ketchup Eusebio and Lovely Abella. (MNS)

Marlo Mortel happy for Janella Salvador now that she's a mom ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Marlo Mortel said he is extremely delighted for his former screen partner Janella Salvador when he found out that his former leading lady is already a mom.

“I’m happy kasi we’re really good friends. And ever since, ang gusto ko rin naman ay personal happiness ni Janella. Kung nahanap niya 'yun with Markus (Paterson) and with the baby, then I’m happy,” he said.

Even though it’s been a while since they were paired in a project, Mortel said he and Salvador have remained in touch through

MARLO MORTEL the years.

“Nagkumustahan kami, I think, last week sa Instagram.

All is well, and she wants to go back na din dito sa Philippines.

Wala naman, nami-miss na rin daw niya dito sa Philippines,” he said.

Mortel also had something to tell to people who are saying Salvador is too young to have a baby.

“Well, katulad nga ng sinabi ko, we can’t fully understand a person unless you know the background. So, hindi naman ibig sabihin na shy siya, ganyan, you can tell her what to do with

her life. It’s her own life, basta happy ako. Happy ako. Happy to see them happy,” he said.

Mortel is also optimistic that Salvador will not stay away from showbiz now that she’s a mom.

“Janella is very passionate about her craft. Like me, she sings, acts... so I think we will follow our dreams pa rin kahit ano ang mangyari,” he said.

Mortel and Salvador first worked together in the daytime series “Be Careful with My Heart” in 2012. They also went on to star in the series “Oh My G.” (MNS)

New date for Regine Velasquez's 'Freedom' concert announced ManiLa (Mabuhay) — Regine Velasquez’s digital concert “Freedom” has been rescheduled to February 28.

This was announced by producers ABS-CBN Events and IME through a joint statement.

“Regine tested negative for COVID-19 and will soon resume preparations for the show,” the statement said.

Originally scheduled to be held on February 14, the digital concert was postponed after Velasquez was exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

“All previously sold ‘Freedom’ tickets will be honored on the new concert date.

Tickets are still up for grabs on KTX (ktx,ph),” the statement said.

“Exclusive access is also available on iWantTFC and

TFC IPTV pay-per-view and will also be available on SKY pay-per-view for those who would like to witness this grand musical event,” it added.

During a recent virtual conference for the show, Velasquez said her longtime fans can expect a fresh repertoire that reflects her personal journey when they watch “Freedom.”

“It is really more personal for me,” she said of the show’s title. “I wanted to be free of all these things — anxiety, fear, expectations of people. I wanted to be free of that.”

As a performer, Velasquez, known as Asia's Songbird, said she wanted to be “free” to explore genres her listeners are not accustomed to hearing from her, as she

teased an unusual lineup of songs.

In her personal life, she shared that like most, she is longing to be “free” from the pandemic that continues to claim lives and livelihood.

“We all want to be free.

We want to be able to go out and do what we used to do.

Go to work, eat in a restaurant, without being afraid,” she said.

The same limitations due to the pandemic led to Velasquez’s traditional Valentine concert being held for the first time virtually. However, she said she has prepared no less for “Freedom” as she had for her physical concerts.

The digital show will run for about two hours, with some 20 numbers, according to Velasquez. (MNS)

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$600... from Page 1 cial aid for community college students.

“As we continue to fight the pandemic and recover, I’m grateful for the Legislature’s partnership to provide urgent relief and support for California families and small businesses where it’s needed most,” said Governor Newsom in a press statement.

“From child care, relief for small business owners, direct cash support to individuals, financial aid for community college students and more, these actions are critical for millions of Californians who embody the resilience of the California spirit.”

“We’re nearly a year into this pandemic, and millions of Californians continue to feel the impact on their wallets and bottom lines. Businesses are struggling. People are having a hard time making ends meet. This agreement builds on Governor Newsom’s proposal and in many ways, enhances it so that we can provide the kind of immediate emergency relief that families and small businesses desperately need right now,” said Senate President pro Tempore Atkins.

“People are hungry and hurting, and businesses our communities have loved for decades are at risk of closing their doors. We are at a critical moment, and I’m proud we were able to come together to get Californians some needed relief.”

“Californians have been hurting. Our response tackles the human and the economic impacts of COVID in a way that echoes President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and will help those who are hurting most. We are building an economic foundation for the recovery of jobs, small businesses and, indeed, our everyday lives,” said Speaker Rendon.

Separately, the Governor and legislative leaders said that discussions are continuing on measures for the safe reopening of the state’s K-12 schools, including strategies to address learning loss caused by the pandemic.

Below are key provisions of the Immediate Action Agreement: Direct Relief to Individuals and Families The agreement incorporates the Governor’s Golden State Stimulus plan to assist California households that have borne the disproportionate economic burden of the COVID-19 Recession – those with incomes below $30,000, as well as those unfairly excluded from previous federal stimulus payments.

The agreement provides $600 in one-time relief to households receiving the California EITC for 2020. In addition, the agreement provides a $600 one-time payment to taxpayers with Individual Tax Identification Numbers

(ITINs) who were precluded from receiving the $1,200 per person federal payments issues last spring and the more recent $600 federal payments. The agreement would provide the $600 payments to households with ITINs and income below $75,000. ITIN taxpayers who also qualify for the California EITC would receive a total of $1,200. The payments will be provided to these households shortly after they file their 2020 tax returns.

The agreement broadens this initial plan and now provides direct relief to more lower-income Californians through a $600 one-time grant to households enrolled in the CalWORKS program and recipients of SSI/SSP and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). Grant payments for CalWORKS households are expected by mid-April; timing for the delivery of SSI/ SSP and CAPI grants is currently under discussion with federal officials.

Combined, the agreement represents a total of 5.7 million payments to low-income Californians.

Immediate Relief for Small Businesses Quadrupled The agreement ref lects a four-fold increase – from $500 million to more than $2 billion – for grants up to $25,000 for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, and also allocates $50 million for cultural institutions.

The agreement also partially conforms California tax law to new federal tax treatment for loans provided through the Paycheck Protection Plan, allowing companies to deduct up to $150,000 in expenses covered by the PPP loan. All businesses that took out loans of $150,000 or less would be able to maximize their deduction for state purposes.

Larger firms that took out higher loans would still be subject to the same ceiling of $150,000 in deductibility. More than 750,000 PPP loans were taken out by California small businesses. This tax treatment would also extend to the Economic Injury Disaster Loans as well.

Fee Waivers for Most Impacted Licensees The agreement provides for two years of fee relief for roughly 59,000 restaurants and bars licensed through the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control that can range annually from $455 to $1,235. The agreement also reflects fee relief for more than 600,000 barbering and cosmetology individuals and businesses licensed through the Department of Consumer Affairs.

More Resources for Critical Child Care The agreement adds just over $400 million in new federal funds that will provide stipends of $525 per enrolled child for all state-subsidized child care and preschool providers serving approximately 400,000 children in subsidized care statewide.

The new federal resources will extend care for children of essential workers through June of 2022, and funds increased access to subsidized child care for more than 8,000 children of essential workers and at-risk children – who are not currently served in the system – through June of 2022.

Additional Aid for Individuals and Families The agreement provides an additional $24 million for financial assistance and services through Housing for the Harvest – a program providing support for agricultural workers who have to quarantine due to COVID-19.

The agreement also provides a combined $35 million for food banks and diapers.

Emergency Financial Relief to Support Community College Students The agreement provides an additional $100 million in emergency financial aid for qualifying low-income students carrying six or more units, with award amounts to be determined locally and made available by early April. The agreement also provides $20 million to reengage students who have either left their community college studies because of the pandemic or to engage students at risk of leaving.

CalFresh Student Outreach and Application Assistance The agreement prov ides roughly $6 million to support outreach and application assistance to University of California, California State University and California Community College students made newly eligible for CalFresh – the state-administered federal program for supplemental food assistance. The agreement also provides $12 million in state funds to support associated county administrative workload.

In addition, the following provision is included in the agreement: Restoration of Reductions The agreement restores previously enacted reductions, effective July 1st, for the University of California, California State University, the Judicial Branch, Child Support Services and for moderate-income housing.

LACSON... from Page 1 "The ongoing talks about the existing VFA fall under the country's foreign relations, which the President, as clearly expressed by the Constitution is the chief architect of. Not only is he the Chief Executive and the Commander-in-Chief, he is the Head of State as well, who can end diplomatic ties with any country at will when national interest so requires," he added.

Lacson, nevertheless, said that the provision in the Constitution is "clear and unequivocal" regarding the participation of each senator in voting for or against the ratification of an international agreement like the VFA. He added that Panelo, as a member of the Cabinet, would expectedly defend the President, whether he was "right or wrong."

"Official records of the Senate will tell us that the vote on May 27, 1999 was 18-5, without which the same would not have been valid and effective," he said, referring to the date

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

Uniform tourism rules to encourage travel during pandemic: study

MANILA – Standardized travel protocols for all regions would encourage tourism even during the ongoing pandemic, a study commissioned by the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed.

In a survey titled "The Evolving Landscape of Domestic Travel in the Philippines" by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM)-Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, majority of the respondents cited the "varying LGU (local government unit) safety protocols" as the top source of travel inconvenience.

The study suggested the standardization of protocols at least provincewide or "circuit-wide".

"The presence of a unified system that outlines the set of standard protocols in various travel destinations will help ease travel arrangements," it said.

"This is especially important in catering to spontaneous day trip travelers."

Throughout the pandemic, travelers' preference also evolved, with tourists now preferring outdoor activities, with staycation coming in next.

Change in travel behaviour was also recorded, indicating more opportunities for introducing new travel products and services.

"We found that a lot of young travelers actually travel for study. We also found that even if travelers find their own family members as the safest people to travel with, they still prefer not to include their children in traveling," said Eylla Laire Gutierrez, research manager of the AIM-Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism.

She then highlighted travelers' willingness to visit multiple destinations and to extend their trips.

As a "strategy to reboot economies and travel activities," Gutierrez said stakeholders should maximize this and disperse travelers to untapped and nearby destinations.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, John Paolo Rivera, associate director at the AIM-Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, said this could be done by creating a "circuit" so that travelers could easily take a detour to nearby destinations.

"Ito 'yong perfect time to create it, to establish it kasi hopefully patapos na 'yong pandemic and people will... immediately, they will travel kasi it's to keep their sanity (This is the perfect time to create it, to establish it because hopefully when the pandemic ends, people would definitely travel)," he said.

Circuits, Rivera said, are slightly different from so-called travel bubbles which connect point A to a specific des-

tination, often outside the region.

In his definition, circuits connect different destinations and are "packaged accordingly" so that sites within proximity could be easily visited, generating jobs and revenues in the process.

AIM's two-pronged survey gathered responses from a total of 7,243 people across all 78 provinces in the country, 809 of whom are individuals who actually traveled during the pandemic.

It also included responses from 108 tourism enterprises with the objective of getting their sentiments on the “new normal” of travel that would serve as inputs to the DOT’s strategies to jumpstart the tourism industry.

Among the common traveler sentiments that were also obtained through the survey are: - Travelling is perceived as an answer to keeping one’s sanity; - Travel and safety protocols need to be standardized; - Travelling can be personalized; and - Travelers’ preferences have evolved.

The main survey findings, meanwhile, for tourism enterprises were: - Stability of public health is perceived as the minimum requirement to accelerate the opening of local tourism; - A standardized set of health protocols and requirements are needed to promote tourist activity; - Financial survival (cash flow) remains to be the most pressing concerns of tourism enterprises; and - Marketing and promotions of tourism products and services remain to be the key point of intervention, followed by financial assistance.

Tourism chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, meanwhile, promised that the DOT would roll out product and market development initiatives to help travel agencies and tour operators enhance their travel packages and services.

She also reiterated the call for uniformed travel protocols across tourism destinations.

“As always, we shall be taking a multilateral approach to address current issues relating to the pandemic, working more closely with local government units, stakeholders, and local communities," she said.

"Guided by the new survey results, the DOT and its partners will be able to plot the crucial next steps for the recovery of the tourism industry, creating better, more efficient and effective strategies where there is mutual and inclusive growth for all,” she added. (PNA)

PH... from Page 1 when the VFA was ratified.

"More importantly: Whether or not an international agreement or a treaty has already been made valid and effective, it is still wrong to assert that a sitting senator and even an ordinary citizen of this country has no more freedom to express his opinion with something that concerns our national interest," he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier hit Lacson and Vice President Leni Robredo for saying that his earlier remarks seeking payment from the United States government for the continuation of the VFA was akin to extortion.

The President said that only him is empowered under the Constitution to decide on the country’s foreign relations.

He told Robredo and Lacson to take a better look at the charter on this matter.

He also told Lacson to first consult a lawyer before making his social media posts. (MNS)

natin ay puwede pa po, possible pa po ang February (if EUA will be given to those will be donated and other procured vaccines, the rollout would be still possible this February)," Galvez said.

While the management of the COVAX facility has yet to provide a definite date for vaccine arrival, Galvez assured the country is well-prepared for the vaccine deployment and other needed logistical requirements.

The country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved the EUA for Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines procured under the COVAX facility, he said.

"Sa ngayon po, ang definite pa lang po natin na mari-receive ay iyong Sinovac pagka-nagkaroon po ng EUA (Right now, the only definite vaccines that we may receive, is from Sinovac firm, if its EUA will be approved)," Galvez said.

He noted that the government's series of vaccine rollout simulations is not limited to the arrival of the Pfizer vaccines.

"So iyong simulations po natin na ginagawa sa national at saka sa local, it covers all, iyong different types of vaccine po (The various simulations that we are conducting both in the national and local levels, it covers all the different types of Covid-19 vaccines)," he said.

He said the national and local governments alongside the private sector are preparing for the vaccine arrival and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines.

Preps, training of vaccinators Galvez said there is still enough time for the vaccinators to undergo and acquire comprehensive training on the national inoculation program since the vaccine arrival will be made through tranches.

"May time pa naman po siguro

tayo makapag-train dahil ang nakita po natin, iyong ating mga vaccine hindi naman po sabay-sabay darating (We still have time to train more vaccinators because as what we see, the vaccines will not arrive simultaneously)," he said.

Galvez said the country is expecting to receive 5 to 10 million doses of vaccine in the first and second quarter this year.

He said local government units have been tasked to identify the possible vaccination sites as well as to prepare for the recruitment and mobilization of the vaccinators who will facilitate the massive inoculation program.

"Iyon po pinapalaam namin na iyong ating mga vaccinations, hindi naman po iyan talagang simultaneous (We are reminding everyone that the vaccination rollout will not be done simultaneously)," he said. (MNS)

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Rooms for Rent Near Beach

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letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and H[SHULHQFHV RI P\ OLIH DQG WR ORYH *RG ZLWK IXOO FRQ¿GHQFH 6W 7KHUHVH P\ PRAYER &DUPHOLWH 6LVWHU , ZLOO IXO¿OO \RXU SOHD µWR EH PDGH TO SAINT THERESE known everywhere’ andwhom I will Almighty continue God to lead to Jesus O Glorious St. Therese, has others raised up to aid through you.

- ABA and inspire theAmen humanTHANK family, IYOU implore your Miraculous Intercession.

You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of Miracles... the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.’ Now I fervently beseech you to answerPRAYERS my petition (mention here) and to carry out your promises of spending HeavenVIRGIN doing good on earth...of PRAYER TO BLESSED (Never known to fail). O Most Beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and me and show me herein you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen ofofHeaven I humbly beseech you from the experiences my life,and andEarth, to love God with full confidence.

St. bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request). There Therese, mycan Carmelite I will O fulfill your plea ‘towithout be made are none that withstandSister, your power.

Mary conceived sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place known everywhere’ and I will continue to lead others to Jesus this cause in your hands (3 times). 3 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 3 Glory BeSay this prayer for 3 consecutive days. You must publish it, and it through you. Amen THANK YOU - SHAHELA

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Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity.

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O Glorious St. Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession.

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Most Holy Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of the enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen. THANK YOU - ARDY

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O Glorious Therese, whom God(make has raised up There to aid are none that can withstand your power.your O Mary conceived without sin, and inspire the human family, I implore Miraculous Intercession. or Charmiley You obtaining need of body spirit from pray are for so us powerful who haveinrecourse toevery thee (3 times).

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Health & Family Health Family

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

WHO cautions PH vs easing quarantine amid new COVID variants, vaccine delays Over 180k health workers, 1.4M seniors included in vaccine master list — DOH MANILA (Mabuhay) — More than 180,000 health workers and millions of senior citizens, indigents, and uniformed personnel have so far been included in the government’s vaccine master list, a health official said Wednesday Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the following are in the Vaccine Information Management System of the Department of Information and Communications Technology as of February 16: 186,562 healthcare workers more than 1.4 million senior citizens 3 million indigents 164,000 uniformed personnel

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The World Health Organization on Thursday said the Philippines might see an upsurge in COVID-19 cases if there is an overall easing of quarantine restrictions instead of targeted measures amid the threat of new variants while the country's vaccination program has yet to start.

“If we now go for large-scale relaxation of measures given the current existing situation and the circulation of variants and the fact it’ll still be many months before a large proportion of Filipinos are vaccinated, we may witness a situation where there’ll be an upsurge of cases and the overwhelming of the health (care system),” WHO Country Representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe said during a briefing on state TV. Asked to weigh in on the National Economic and Development Authority's (NEDA) suggestion to place the country under a lower quarantine classification and the reopening of cinemas and other establishments by March, Abeyasinghe pointed out that COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, including the National Capital Region, is still “plateauing.”

“It has not flattened yet and so we still need to be conscious of the fact that there is relatively high level of transmission in the community and that the situation is also complicated by the presence of new variants,” he said.

The WHO official said that while they understand the “significant economic burdens on sectors of the population… every measure needs to be carefully calibrated and decided upon before being implemented.”

He pointed out that the Philippines has been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 and avoid overwhelming the health system through restrictions.

I believe firmly that we still need to maintain these restrictions. That doesn’t mean we cannot loosen up in areas where the economy will benefit,” he said.

He said such easing of restrictions should be “done in a very targeted manner” and with full understanding of the economic benefits and health risks.

Government has been looking at further easing quarantine restrictions, including in economic hub Metro Manila, even as the virus threat remains, in a bid to revive the econo-

my dragged down by the pandemic.

By mid-March, it would be a year since the Philippines first enforced quarantine restrictions to contain the virus.

Abeyasinghe said the same for the global situation when asked if the decline in COVID-19 cases worldwide is due to the vaccination of people in other countries.

“Potentially it could be one of the factors. We also need to recognize that in many of the hotspots where the number of cases are surging they have implemented very strict movement restriction orders. This may be contributing to the decrease in transmission,” he said.

“This decrease in transmission doesn’t mean the pandemic is over,” he added. “If we relax measures too early we see that the rebound happens very fast so we need to keep this in mind and we have to be very careful in relaxing those as we see transmission rates dropping (globally).”

The DOH earlier said it is monitor-

ing the increase in cases in Region 7, Caraga, as well as 8 cities in Metro Manila. But it said the hospital utilization rate or occupancy of COVID-19 beds in the country, except in Agusan del Norte, is still within the safe zone.

The DOH attributed the increase in the said areas to the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season as people attended family gatherings.

While the Philippines was supposed to receive its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines this week, the arrival was held back by delays in the indemnification agreement. It is still unclear when the first batch will arrive although the government is hoping to receive it within the month.

Under the indemnity deal, the national government will be responsible and shoulder the cost for possible adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines on those inoculated.

The Philippines has lagged behind some of its regional neighbors in securing COVID-19 shots, with which it aims to vaccinate 70 million people

“Most of these healthcare workers would comprise those from the eligible hospitals na isasama natin as pauna nating pagbabakuna with Pfizer vaccines,” Vergeire said in the government’s daily COVID-19 briefing.

The Department of Health earlier said 34 hospitals across Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao will be part of the initial rollout of 117,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech.

However, Malacañang said there is still no definitive delivery date for the first batch of vaccines.

The rollout was expected to begin in mid-February but was delayed by the country’s lack of an indemnification law, which will ensure compensation for those who will experience serious side effects from COVID-19 vaccines.

(MNS) or two-thirds of the population this year, starting in February.

Aside from Pfizer's initial batch, the Philippines expects to receive its first 600,000 doses of China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine this month. (MNS)

Russian embassy can expedite EUA for Sputnik-V vax: FDA MANILA — Food and Drug Administration Director-General Eric Domingo on Thursday said the Russian embassy could provide an authorization letter to help expedite the granting of an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Russia’s Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine.

In an online meeting of the House committee on people’s participation, Domingo said the authorization letter must assure the FDA that Gamaleya Institute’s local representatives in the country can sign the documents needed for their EUA application.

Domingo cited that the EUA application process requires certain documents “to be attested to by the manufacturer who is in Russia”, making it difficult for the documents to be sent there for verification and sent back to the country.

“So maybe if the [Russian] embassy can give some authorization, a letter that will allow FDA, assure FDA that their local representative here is authorized by the manufacturer Gamaleya to sign these documents for them, that will make it [the application process] faster,” he said.

While Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine has been granted EUA from other countries like Argentina and Russia, its EUA application in the Philippines is still pending.

Domingo added the Gamaleya Institute must submit a good manufacturing practice (GMP) certification “assuring the consistency of the quality of their product”.

The government would schedule a GMP inspection of their factory once the manufacturer has applied for it.

“We have a team here in the Philippines that is ready

and capable of doing a GMP inspection,” Domingo said.

“The Russian government is also very willing to help us coordinate so that we can send our inspection team there to inspect the factory.”

The FDA has granted EUA to AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine last month.

Some 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in the country in one tranche this month.

Sinovac Biotech's bid for EUA of its Covid-19 vaccine in the country is still being processed by the FDA. (PNA)

FDA DIRECTOR-GENERAL ERIC DOMINGO

Saturday-Friday | February 20 - 26, 2021

Galvez, Roque to brief public on vaccine drive twice a week MANILA (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night directed vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to brief the public twice a week on the government’s Covid-19 vaccine drive.

“I have requested Secretary Galvez and si Secretary Roque sa -- sila ang magdala sa (they should carry) public information and it should be given twice a day (twice a week rather) -- twice a week para (so that) you will be better informed of what government is doing,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded public address.

Since he delivered his regular public address only on a weekly basis, he said he needed both Galvez and Roque to continue to keep the public informed.

“You can only have about a good knowledge or at least an understanding of our Covid program once you hear us, me, ngayon sa gabi nito (tonight), but it does not come to you every day,” Duterte added.

He assured that the government is doing its best to realize its goal of vaccinating around 50 million to 70 million Filipinos this year.

“We are tr ying our best.

Narinig naman ninyo si (You heard) Secretary Galvez that we are in the process of really working towards the realization of our vaccine program,” he said.

Duterte also reiterated his call to government officials, including those at the Bureau of Customs (BOC), not to hamper the smooth flow of Covid-19 vaccines in the country.

“There’s really no need to tarry a minute longer in releasing the cargoes kasi alam naman nila bakuna ‘yan (because they know those are vaccines) and, you know, it is very important that they should be stored immediately upon ma-deplane ‘yong mga bakuna (the vaccine gets deplaned),” he said.

Galvez later clarified that the BOC would only undertake the "pre-clearance" of the vaccines.

“Ang kagandahan nga po ‘yong sa clearance sa Customs, pre-clearing na po ang ginawa po at sumunod po sa utos niyo po na talagang wala pong time na makokonsumo doon sa Customs clearing, so zero minutes po sila (What’s good about the clearance at Customs is they’re only in charge of pre-clearing as per your order that they won’t consume time in clearing, so that’s zero minutes),” he said.

Last Feb. 9, authorities conducted a simulation exercise for the arrival of initial 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which is expected by mid-February.

The simulation exercise involved loading the vaccines to refrigerated vans and transporting them to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine cold storage facility. (MNS)

Health Family Health & Family

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OCTA warns of surge in COVID-19 cases if NCR shifts to MGCQ

M A NIL A (Mabu hay) — The OCTA Research Team on Wednesday warned of a surge in COVID-19 cases if President Rodrigo Duterte approved the National Economic Development Authority’s proposal to place the whole Philippines under the least stringent modified general community quarantine.

In its latest report, OCTA indicated that the proposal for a nationwide shift to MGCQ starting on March 1 was particularly risky for Metro Manila because of the more contagious UK variant of the disease.

"It is not just risky, but also contrary to sensible epidemic management," OCTA said in its latest report.

“If restrictions in NCR are relaxed to very loose levels, the region will be under a constant threat of a surge due to the increased mobility of people, reduced social distancing and diminished compliance with health protocols, as was observed at the outset of the December holidays,” it added.

On Monday, acting NEDA director general Karl Chua proposed to President Rodrigo Duterte placing the entire country under MGCQ starting March 1 to balance the country's response to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the need of Filipinos to start earning and spending.

The team predicted that new COVID-19 cases in NCR could reach 2,400 per day by March 26, a window of just 36 days, if it would be placed under MGCQ. The team urged the national government to defer NEDA’s proposal including the expansion of the age group who are allowed to go out in the capital region until its regional health indicators improved to qualify it for the MGCQ status as defined by the Inter-Agency Task Force.

“The reproduction number Rt of NCR, which is oscillating between 0.9 and 1.1 rather than showing a discernible decrease, indicates

that it may be premature to relax the GCQ to MGCQ in the NCR,” it said.

“The NCR w ill need more time to improve its health indicators beyond the proposed March 2021 proposed period of implementation by NEDA.” The team also said the proposal should be deferred until the national government and loca l government units have finished vaccinating all health workers in the region and until LGUs have been given more time to prepare for a transition to MGCQ status.

“The NCR needs to be prepared not just in terms of resources but also in terms of systems and an expanded capacity to do testing, effective tracing, and supportive isolation in preparation for a possible surge in cases.

These systems must be in place before we ease restrictions, especially in high-risk areas,” it said.

Further, the team said the Department of Health should first undertake an “exhaustive study to gain a clearer picture of the extent of transmissions of the UK variant in the NCR.” “We believe that it should be the priority of DOH and the LGUs to ascertain that the threat posed by the more contagious and lethal UK variant is minimized before any decision to open up in the NCR is made.”

Recommendations The research team also “strongly recommend” that LGUs in NCR reconsider and defer the implementation of the IATF recommendation to loosen age restrictions of vulnerable groups until Metro Manila Council have consulted with health experts as regards to the risks and benefits of this new proposal.

Mea nwh i le, t he tea m noted that Navotas had the most noticeable increase in NCR, while Manila and Pasay had slight increases in new COVID-19 cases.

“Fu r t her more, i n t he identified NCR LGUs, the implementation of more aggressive and effective localized lockdowns with stricter border controls are urgently needed to suppress further viral transmissions.

Effective and stricter border controls must be in place to mitigate COVID-19 transmissions within and between provinces to prevent the spread of the UK variant.”

It also urged high-risk LGUs in Central Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region and other areas in the country to further intensify their efforts at testing, tracing and isolation to reverse the increase in transmissions in their communities.

The team identified LapuLapu, Mandaue and Talisay in Cebu; Tabuk, Kalinga in CAR; and Cagayan de Oro as one of the hotspots of the virus.

Moreover, as the national government continues to reopen the economy amid the threat of the UK variant, the team called on LGUs in the country to further increase the capacity of the local healthcare system (human resources, equipment and bed capacity) in preparation for potential outbreaks in NCR. It urged LGUs to further increase testing to cope with the expected surge in cases, scale-up contact tracing efforts, and to ensure that a robust and effective contact

tracing app for active case finding is utilized all over NCR. The team also said LGUs should continue building more isolation facilities in the capital region and improve hospital capacities “where they are limited and to improve the system for coordination and sharing of medical and isolation facilities all over the region.”

“Also, it is important that Congress, through its forthcoming stimulus package, allocate more funds to the government for the DOH and the national health institutes to procure equipment and supplies as well train more technical personnel so that it can improve and expand its capabilities to undertake the biosurveillance for the country,” the team said.

“Be that as it may, we support the proposal to expand transportation within the NCR and to the provinces as long as minimum health standards are strictly monitored and enforced in various transportation units,” it added.

The country’s reproduction number Rt is currently 1.10, a little higher than the reproduction number in NCR of 1.0. The positivity rate in NCR remained at 4%, over a testing capacity of 18,000 PCR tests per day.

Nationwide, COVID-19 cases rose to 553,424 on Thursday, including 11,577 deaths and 512,033 recoveries. (MNS)

Vaccinated OFW from UAE tests positive with COVID-19 MANILA (Mabuhay) — A returning overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from the United Arab Emirates has contracted COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, a Health official said Thursday.

DOH 7 spokesperson Mary Jean Loreche said the OFW returned home on January 5 after receiving two COVID-19 vaccine doses on December 12, 2020 and January 2 this year.

The OFW tested positive for COVID-19 after undergoing standard quarantine and testing procedures for returning overseas Filipinos.

“Alam naman po natin ang isang tao kahit nabigyan na ng bakuDOH 7 SPOX na, hindi naman po MARY JEAN LORECHE ito garantiya na ikaw

ay magkakaroon na ng immunity,” Loreche said.

“Ang epekto ng bakuna ay to prevent a severe disease.

Kung ikaw ay nabakunahan at magkakaroon ka man ng COVID, hindi po ikaw magiging grabe. Hindi ka ipapasok sa intensive care unit,” she added.

Loreche said the OFW’s story highlights the “success” of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Wala rin po siyang sintomas from the time na dumating to the time na-swab at lumabas ang resulta.

Hanggang ngayon wala pong nararamdaman ang ating kababayan,” she said.

The DOH official added that it remains to be proven if COVID-19 vaccines can prevent transmission.

“Sa mga datos ng mga bakuna natin… it can prevent severe disease, it can prevent clinical disease. Pero to prevent transmission, hindi po clear cut ‘yan kaya hindi po natin masasabi na ikaw, kung nabakunahan ka, hindi ka na makakahawa,” she said.

The Philippines is set to start vaccinating health workers in February but Malacañang said there is still no delivery date for the 117,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech due to concerns on indemnification. (MNS)

20

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